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The Toronto Maple Leafs are entering the consequential weeks of the offseason when most of the moves are made. In the next three or four weeks, decisions will be made on players on their roster who have expiring contracts, those on other clubs with term left on their deals they would have to trade for, and players who are heading to the open market on July 1.
Highly recommended for anyone who wants to know everything about the players being drafted in Vegas later this month
— HockeyProspect.com (@ScoutingService) June 13, 2024
GM Brad Treliving is likely focused on the Mitch Marner situation and how that breaks will affect what the Leafs do in terms of other potential trades. If Toronto does not move Marner at the draft or lay the groundwork for a possible deal after July 1 when the All-Star winger gets his $7.25 million signing bonus, they will be significantly limited because of their cap space being allocated towards their blueline and a lack of draft capital (Toronto has no second or third round picks in Vegas, and no picks until the fifth round in 2025).
The potential of a John Tavares deal is remote, since he has indicated that he wanted to remain in Toronto last season and reportedly has not come off of that stance entering the final year of his deal. The Marner situation and it’s subsequent domino effect regarding free agents Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi could see the Leafs open to players entering the walk year of their contracts, such as Blues winger Pavel Buchnevich (who played for Craig Berube in St. Louis) or Seattle’s Brandon Tanev (a Toronto native and brother of defenseman Chris).
One potential move that may be highly scrutinized is trading forward Nick Robertson. The 22-year-old scored 14 goals in managed ice time under former head coach Sheldon Keefe in just 56 games and could garner interest from teams looking for scoring, but again if the Leafs move Marner, they will be more in need of secondary scoring or players able to step up into a larger offensive role.
Robertson is under control for another four years and likely will not get a costly new deal (especially on a one-year contract), but if Treliving can convert him into a defenseman or a more physical young player, it may be a trade we see at some point.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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