Since the Toronto Maple Leafs were once again eliminated from the playoffs by the Boston Bruins in the first round, there has been much talk and speculation about what general manager Brad Treliving will do to right the ship. In the Maple Leafs’ post-mortem, president and alternate governor Brendan Shanahan said Toronto would “look at everything” to reach their ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup.
Looking at everything can include breaking up the Core Four and given the fact Mitch Marner has been vilified by fans and media alike since the elimination, he seems to be the odd man out who could be shipped out of town. When such a player is made available, everyone wants to acquire him, which makes perfect sense.
Last month, Mathias Brunet speculated on his Processus Podcast about what would happen if the Maple Leafs were to offer Marner to the Montreal Canadiens for the fifth-overall pick of the 2024 Draft and since then, the idea has been discussed a lot around Montreal. Here are three reasons why this proposed trade could never happen.
Marner Is an Established NHL Star
The Maple Leafs are contenders for the Stanley Cup, to trade Marner they would need a return which would help them now or at least very soon. The anticipated return would be at a minimum, established NHL players who could help them fix the issues that still plague the team.
As things stand, Toronto needs to find some firepower up front that doesn’t shy away from the heavy circulation in front of the net and isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty. There’s also no denying that the situation in net is a concern. Joseph Woll was great in the playoffs once he was given the net, but his injury woes are a worry. A contender without a goaltender often becomes nothing more than a pretender.
Marner has played 576 career games in the NHL and has racked up 639 points in the process. He produces more than a point per game. There is no one on the Canadiens’ roster who even comes close to that kind of production. Captain Nick Suzuki has got 286 points in 373 games and sniper Cole Caufield has 149 points in 205 games. These are the Canadiens’ two best forwards and they do not meet the Maple Leafs’ needs in the slightest. Any proposition including Kirby Dach would be laughed at, not because the player lacks talent or potential but because of his persistent injury issues. In net, the Canadiens do not have a proven playoff performer. Samuel Montembeault has got no postseason experience and the same can be said about Cayden Primeau. It’s impossible they could be seriously considered in an offer for Marner.
Sending Marner Next Door Would Make No Sense
If the Maple Leafs are ready to move on from Marner, it’s not because he’s not a good player, it’s only because they already have plenty of what he brings to the table. The talent up front in Toronto is like Molson beer in Montreal, it’s everywhere. William Nylander, John Tavares, and Auston Matthews are all established stars and they need someone to complete them, not reproduce them.
Knowing just how good Marner is, what would be the advantage of trading him to a divisional rival and playing against him numerous times a year? Sending him to a direct rival might be hard as well, not all players want to play on both sides of the rivalry. For instance, Josh Gorges refused to be traded to Toronto when the Canadiens tried to send him there. Marner has full control of his destiny with his no-move clause and would probably nip the idea in the bud.
Marner’s Future Contract Would Mean Chaos in Montreal
To even think about trading for Marner, the Canadiens would need to be able to sign him to a contract extension. Considering he currently makes nearly $11 million; he would leapfrog all other Canadiens by a dozen country miles. Suzuki is at $7.875 million and Caufield is at $7.85 million. When Caufield came knocking for his new contract, it was made clear to him that he wouldn’t get more than Suzuki’s salary.
Related: Maple Leafs in a Bad Spot With Level of Control Marner Has
The Canadiens are attempting to build a contender with a complete team rather than around a megastar, and a change of direction right now would be a disaster. If Montreal had won the Bedard derby, they would have had a big star on their hands but that wasn’t the case. The Canadiens picked first overall when Juraj Slafkovsky was the first overall pick. The Slovak is certainly not a bad player, but so far, it doesn’t look like he’ll become the kind of player that forms Toronto’s Core Four.
Montreal is building a balanced team. They won’t want to put all of their eggs in the Marner basket, as good as a player as he is, he cannot shoulder the load of a team on his back. Even if he could, the Canadiens have learned from the Carey Price era that betting on just one player to accomplish miracles rarely pays off…if ever.
