If Marner does walk I don't see the point in still using all of the cap with aging UFAs. The Leafs are trying to contend right now and they would likely use the 4 first round picks to acquire a long term top pairing defenseman, then fill the forward spots with marlies and make a deadline move

Another fail at spending 10,5M and 4 x 1sts from my point of view....

Melo is worth way more to Ottawa than Brown is

picking near dead last 1st round for 4 years is a horrible return.

They might not even have to do that much. Tor can't sign Johnnson and Kap and then pray no one makes a deal on Marner. Which is why the qualified offers to both of them are a joke. Both of them are about to be out the door. Even if they dumped Zaitsev it still wouldn't be enough. It's only 4.5 mil and that puts them at roughly 18 million. Marner takes 11 at least. that's 7 left. You are looking at over 6 on both of them thats less than 1/2 a million for a 13th skater and you would only have 4 defense men signed. Even moving browns 2 million out wouldn't save the teams cap.
If a team was smart they would offer sheet marner right away at +11 million. Toronot would have 7 days to scramble to match. I don't think they could without getting screwed all the way around on every deal. They would end up having to take the 4 late round picks.....who cares.

If a team wants to screw over Toronto, they should offer Marner 4 years @ $10.5M. Marner would love that because that makes him a UFA at age 26. Toronto would have to match because the return compensation would only be a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd instead of four 1sts. That gives him the 8-figure contract he wants with a chance to get even more in only 4 years.