It’s a dark horse but if money is a big factor, I wouldn’t discount Utah. They have loads of cap room, pick, etc and an owner who is ready to spend and might want to make a splash. Mitch would be “the guy”. He’d have to be ready to play out of the spotlight but maybe SLC could manage another God
- Canada Cup

Maybe his dad can convince Utah that Mitch is a #1 center.

If you want to be realistic about it, you have to ask yourself - Mitch Marner has to agree to be traded to a destination - no different than Tkachuk, who basically said Florida or FO.

Do we think he wants to go be an obscure no-name in Columbus or Utah? He may not have actually competed for a cup here, but regardless of how they play in the playoffs, it's what NHL players want - and he has been doing since he arrived in the NHL.

What teams/locations would make sense for Marner? He's got an ego, he likes being a star, wants to be recognized as such, is an amazing playmaker, but is somewhat sleight of frame by NHL standards.

So he wants a big city team that's a contender, and the big city team that's a contender needs offense in the form of a PP driver who can perform effectively on the PK. If the big city team has some size on it's O-line, all the better - because they can protect Marner by making room for him - similar to what Chicago did with Kane by putting him with larger players who liked to grind on the walls and muck it up in crowds (like Bickell or Saad or Toews) - not really guys who went around hitting like crazy, but guys who won 1-on-1 battles more often than they lost them.

The Rangers are at cap and already have Panarin.

LA would be a great option, but they'd want to unload PLD as a consequence, and no thank you. The crap they'd have to throw in to make it appetizing would be unappealing to them.

Vegas might be appealing - they could certainly insulate him - but they have about $6m in cap space available (including Lehner's $5m in LTIR space) and 4-5 players to sign. Like it you work in some type of a Theodore-Barbashev deal, but . . .I don't see a fit that makes sense for either team.

Florida has the room, theoretically, although with about $20m available they have about 6 regular forwards and 3 regular D all as UFAs this year, so the fit would be more than tight. As much as they are a contender, I'm not positive it's a big city market.

Dallas could use him, but they can't really afford him - he would give them the same headache we've had - too much money tied up in too few players. Probably say the same about Colorado, but they don't really need him - especially if Landeskog comes back next year.

Carolina, while not a big market, is a good team that has a similar guy in Aho, but they need some offensive dynamics to the team. I still think they need more of a net presence than a distributor.

That's sort of it. You have teams that are up and coming and could make pitches - Chicago, Ottawa, Detroit - certainly the appeal of an original six franchise is there with the Hawks and Wings, but they are both a couple of years away from being a couple of years away, so to speak.

Out of all of that, all I can think is that LA seems like the only viable option.
- Monkeypunk

Mostly agree, but I'd still consider Utah. Would immediately be the #1 guy in town, on a team with a lot of pre-reality good vibes.
Edit: Late

It's not gonna happen. No chance. No way.

BUT

Just like with Willy when there was a chance he'd become available.

Marner fits the kind of UFA the Habs will hope to sign in a year.

And let's be honest, seeing him turn full heel would be awesome.



- Scabeh

It would be Leafy so it checks out.

If he makes it to UFA, I think he ends up in the U.S. The only Canadian team I could see, besides Toronto, would be Vancouver.

He doesn't get the 8th year as Ufa.
- fifty__missions

Actually I change my mind.

I think he stays.

Because you fans will whine and cry for awhile, but will continue to support the team no matter what.

I’m declaring my protest in being a fan of the Leafs.

I reserve my right to cheer for other teams now, but I’ll circle back once Shanahan is fired.

Go… let me think… hmm..🤔


Edit: Dallas, and SJ in a few years because I like their jerseys..

He’ll probably get more on the open market.

I think he goes to Vegas.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

8 x more ...is better than 7 x more ...MM may need to agree to a trade to get that 8th year.

He doesn't get the 8th year as Ufa.
- fifty__missions

If he could get $1.5M more on a 7 year deal than on an 8 year deal, the money is about the same. Maybe it’s just me but working longer to get about the same $ doesn’t seem that appealing.

Interesting
will they play out of he Scotiabank facility? most likely to early for that
- dmnted

Not sure honestly
I would think so.

If he could get $1.5M more on a 7 year deal than on an 8 year deal, the money is about the same. Maybe it’s just me but working longer to get about the same $ doesn’t seem that appealing.
- Canada Cup

Wouldn’t a shorter term at higher dollars = a lot more money in the end because he could just re-sign a year earlier, while he’s still a decent player?

If you want to be realistic about it, you have to ask yourself - Mitch Marner has to agree to be traded to a destination - no different than Tkachuk, who basically said Florida or FO.

Do we think he wants to go be an obscure no-name in Columbus or Utah? He may not have actually competed for a cup here, but regardless of how they play in the playoffs, it's what NHL players want - and he has been doing since he arrived in the NHL.

What teams/locations would make sense for Marner? He's got an ego, he likes being a star, wants to be recognized as such, is an amazing playmaker, but is somewhat sleight of frame by NHL standards.

So he wants a big city team that's a contender, and the big city team that's a contender needs offense in the form of a PP driver who can perform effectively on the PK. If the big city team has some size on it's O-line, all the better - because they can protect Marner by making room for him - similar to what Chicago did with Kane by putting him with larger players who liked to grind on the walls and muck it up in crowds (like Bickell or Saad or Toews) - not really guys who went around hitting like crazy, but guys who won 1-on-1 battles more often than they lost them.

The Rangers are at cap and already have Panarin.

LA would be a great option, but they'd want to unload PLD as a consequence, and no thank you. The crap they'd have to throw in to make it appetizing would be unappealing to them.

Vegas might be appealing - they could certainly insulate him - but they have about $6m in cap space available (including Lehner's $5m in LTIR space) and 4-5 players to sign. Like it you work in some type of a Theodore-Barbashev deal, but . . .I don't see a fit that makes sense for either team.

Florida has the room, theoretically, although with about $20m available they have about 6 regular forwards and 3 regular D all as UFAs this year, so the fit would be more than tight. As much as they are a contender, I'm not positive it's a big city market.

Dallas could use him, but they can't really afford him - he would give them the same headache we've had - too much money tied up in too few players. Probably say the same about Colorado, but they don't really need him - especially if Landeskog comes back next year.

Carolina, while not a big market, is a good team that has a similar guy in Aho, but they need some offensive dynamics to the team. I still think they need more of a net presence than a distributor.

That's sort of it. You have teams that are up and coming and could make pitches - Chicago, Ottawa, Detroit - certainly the appeal of an original six franchise is there with the Hawks and Wings, but they are both a couple of years away from being a couple of years away, so to speak.

Out of all of that, all I can think is that LA seems like the only viable option.
- Monkeypunk

Vegas.
Theodore and hertl for marner and whatever
Hertl 6.5m
Theordore 5.2m

Vegas gets $800 000 in cap relief this year plus whatever the cap goes up.
This is a great deal for Toronto and all involved.
Maybe vegas overpays but whatever. Leafs get a number 2 center and a top 2 dman
Its the best trade

Agreed, but I think our offensive problem mostly originates on the back end. It's weird how few assists our defenders get, when you consider the talent up front.
Some of it is coaching, but lack of skill on the back end is as big a problem as lack of size was prior to last trade deadline.
Talent wise, we have 2x2nd pairing D, 1x3rd pairing, and a bunch of 6-7's. I'm basing this relative to what any of the remaining teams have.
Fact is, we've lost Muzzin, Brody and Gio to a combination of age, wear, and injury, and none of their replacements have been as good. Unless Riley had a nagging injury to explain his lack of speed in the playoffs, you can probably add him to the list of rapidly declining assets.
Our defence has been funded about as well as the Canadian Armed forces.
- oldstyle

Agree the lack of offense from the back end is an issue - even if that's not scoring goals but more setting up good breakouts / creating opportunity for forwards to finish. Most of the Leafs D seems content to get the puck out of the defensive end (and perhaps that is the system/coaching) vs look to create offense.

There is almost zero threat from the point on the PP either which is a HUGE issue.

Everything has been funded poorly outside of the 'core' and I think 99% of people here understand that are are ready for it to change. A simple coaching change isn't the solution - although it's likely part of it.

He’ll probably get more on the open market.

I think he goes to Vegas.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

no he will not cause of that 8th year he will not get.

Glad to see Shanahan is sticking around, why change a winning formula. Long live the Shanaplan!

no he will not cause of that 8th year he will not get.
- dmnted

Leafs arent paying him 12m per or shouldn't.
Plus he could earn more per year in a more tax friendlier city.

But less on sponsorship

Not sure honestly
I would think so.
- Fakepartofme

Coca-Cola arena.

Does anyone know if they take the ice out in the summer? I'm assuming so.

If he could get $1.5M more on a 7 year deal than on an 8 year deal, the money is about the same. Maybe it’s just me but working longer to get about the same $ doesn’t seem that appealing.
- Canada Cup

That's not happening.

We will look at everything, consider everything

#Shanaplan

Actually I change my mind.

I think he stays.

Because you fans will whine and cry for awhile, but will continue to support the team no matter what.

I’m declaring my protest in being a fan of the Leafs.

I reserve my right to cheer for other teams now, but I’ll circle back once Shanahan is fired.

Go… let me think… hmm..🤔

Edit: Dallas, and SJ in a few years because I like their jerseys..
- Arctic_AARDVARK

that what fan are suppose to do

We will look at everything, consider everything

#Shanaplan
- Symba007

He probably called the core four before the presser and told them "we good!"

man the audio is really bad in the Leafs management presser

I'm a skeptic so for me, the "he's unreachable part" makes the entire list a load of poop.
- The Law

i find it believable some dude in his 50s is not tied to his phone at all times

Tree Living and Shanahan

They both say the same thing, we are responsible, buck stops with us.

First move the team makes, keep those 2, fire the coach #accountability

That's the two problems right there in a nutshell:

1) In playoff hockey when things get tight and difficult, the Leafs don't have enough forwards willing to do the difficult things to get in places for the chance for success - that does include Matthews, who typically shoots from about 8-10ft further back in the playoffs. Maybe with linemates who can do more to create space for him, it changes, but he has a tendency to take the path of least resistance which doesn't work in the playoffs. I'm not advocating for him here - a 6'3 / 210lb guy should be capable of creating his own space.

2) You're spot on. One weak goal in a tightly contested game is likely going to be the difference. Woll was excellent - him not starting the series, and his injury at the end of game 6 is very likely why we aren't currently down 2-0 to Florida.
- Monkeypunk

Not sure if Woll played every game in this series he would have played at the same level he was at in games 5 and 6 nor that the Leafs would have done enough (read scored enough) to have won the series but we will never know.

What we do know is many will be happy when Samsonov is not back and someone else is the soup du jour (Soupy joke fully intended) between the pipes in Toronto who will be anointed the saviour of this franchise and then the cause of their failure and all that is wrong with them - perhaps multiple times in the same season.

This is the way.

I mean as an example as great as Bob has been in 2 consecutive playoffs now imagine if the Leafs had signed him to that 7 year x 10M per year contract back in 2018 that kicked in 2019-2020?

His stats were pretty average at best for the first few of those years and I find it hard not to believe he would not have been run out of Toronto well before his big playoff breakthrough last year.

Wouldn’t a shorter term at higher dollars = a lot more money in the end because he could just re-sign a year earlier, while he’s still a decent player?
- Arctic_AARDVARK

that would put him in the Matthews/McKinnon/McDavid $$$ 13.5M/7years.

that what fan are suppose to do
- dmnted

I’m a fan of the sport.

I’ll follow good leadership.

Following blindly never turns out well.

We will look at everything, consider everything

#Shanaplan
- Symba007

I don't know what's worse:

All the MLSE talking heads repeating the same old tired cliches...

...or every single Leafs reporter retweeting them.