Possible trade offer! Mitch Marner to Nashville Predators

 

After another first-round playoff loss, the Maple Leafs have not yet indicated if they will ask winger Mitch Marner to waive his no-move clause. But according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, it hasn't stopped the Predators from saying they would be among the teams to call if he reaches the trade market.

As he begins his second offseason in charge, Nashville general manager Barry Trotz would be making quite the swing. First-line forwards Ryan O'Reilly and Gustav Nyquist were signed to two-year and four-year contracts, respectively, for less than $5MM a season, thanks to the veteran coach's outstanding performance in free agency last summer. It was also a wise move to bench John Hynes in favour of Andrew Brunette, who led the Predators to their highest point total in five years—99—and is currently a nominee for the Jack Adams Award.

With both elite players approaching the last season of their contracts, Pagnotta recently suggested trading Juuse Saros for Marner. It's unclear, though, if Toronto is interested in the 2022 Vezina Trophy finalist. It's hard to say for sure what Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving would want in exchange for his star player because there's no concrete evidence that he's even considering moving on from Marner.

I think Nashville – at one point – was one of the teams that said: if you’re considering trading him, give us a call! – David Pagnotta

The Leafs and Preds have only traded minor-league or depth players a few times in the last few years, making them uncommon trading partners. Near the 2015 trade deadline, Toronto made their most recent significant transaction, sending Mike Santorelli and Cody Franson to Nashville in return for Brendan Leipsic, Olli Jokinen, and a first-round pick in 2015. The Flyers gladly selected Travis Konecny with the choice 24th overall, which the Leafs ultimately traded down from. With the picks they got, then-co-interim general managers Kyle Dubas and Mark Hunter failed to select any impact players in the NHL. However, they did exchange one pick—awarded to them by Philadelphia—for a second-round selection, which they used to select Travis Dermott, a decent defenseman.

If Toronto were to part ways with Marner, they would lose their most dynamic playmaker and one of their best penalty-killers, but they would also free up a significant amount of budget room to address their inconsistent goaltending and dearth of puck-moving defensemen. If they decide to trade Marner before the draft, any roster player they get in return for him will probably be less expensive by a few million dollars, enabling them to be more active players in this summer's free-agent market.

Other than two seasons of Paul Kariya, who was past his prime, and seventeen games of Peter Forsberg, the Predators would add perhaps the best player to suit up for them in team history. Apart from O'Reilly, Nyquist, and Filip Forsberg on their top line.