Potential Marner trade options and some potential UFA signings

Team: 2021-22 Toronto Maple Leafs

Initial Creation Date: Jun. 1, 2021

Published: Jun. 1, 2021

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Let's everybody pump the brakes (I realize I am being reactionary). It's EXTREMELY UNLIKELY they trade Mitchell Marner. They will only trade him if they get the value they want. They will not give away a player in his mid-20's who scores 90+ points per year, no matter what you think. If that's the only option they will run it back with the same top-4 forwards next season.

I know fans of these teams will tell me these trades are crazy and unbalanced, but a) none of these players are even close to Marner's level and b) every single team they trade with get's a big top-6 and powerplay improvement with Marner instead of who was traded. Not every team may want to do this deal, but this would be what it takes. I also tried to use teams that are looking to compete right now and retool.

Yes I realize not all of these trades can happen and as a result the salary cap is out of whack. But it's easy to imagine what the Leafs look like in each of these scenarios.

I don't need to hear "So and so says no" because they're hypothetical (and capfriendly is EXCELLENT at reducing player values far below what the NHL does) but I don't think these trades make the Leafs better at the top end, they just make them a bit deeper and free up some more flexibility.

What really sucks is that if the salary cap had continued to rise (might have been up to 90 million by this offseason) none of this would be a problem.

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