NHL Rumor Mill – January 27, 2025
The latest on Leafs winger Mitch Marner and Hurricanes forward Mikko Rantanen plus an update on the Islanders in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Adam Proteau believes the Toronto Maple Leafs could get a king’s ransom if they peddle Mitch Marner before the March 7 trade deadline.
Proteau pointed to the return the Colorado Avalanche received from the Carolina Hurricanes in Friday’s Mikko Rantanen trade, suggesting Marner could fetch the Leafs many assets. Like Rantanen, the 27-year-old Marner can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner (NHL Images).
If the Leafs are unable to re-sign Marner and put him on the trade block, Proteau suggested offering him to the Vancouver Canucks for center Elias Pettersson. He also proposed offering Marner to the Utah Hockey Club for winger Clayton Keller.
However, Proteau also pointed out that Marner has a full no-movement clause. He wants to stay in Toronto and the Leafs hope to re-sign him. Proteau doubts Marner will hit the open market on July 1.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Marner would undoubtedly fetch a significant return in the trade market. We can’t rule out the possibility (however remote) that things could change. After all, we didn’t think the Avs would trade Rantanen. Nevertheless, it’s unlikely to be moved by March 7.
THE ATHLETIC: Speaking of Marner and Rantanen, Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus believe Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson will be interested in both if they become free agents on July 1.
They point out that the Blackhawks need to accelerate their rebuild. Attendance is slipping, the TV situation with CHSN has been a debacle, and the novelty of Connor Bedard is wearing off. This doesn’t mean Davidson has to derail the rebuild, but they need to add a player in a higher tier who can improve Bedard, take pressure off other young players, and excite the fans.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blackhawks will have over $32 million in cap space if the ceiling rises to $92.4 million as projected. That’s enough to sign a free-agent superstar in their late twenties or acquire one via trade using their trade capital of draft picks and prospects.
NEW YORK POST: Larry Brooks believes something is very wrong if Kyle Palmieri and Brock Nelson remain with the New York Islanders after March 7. He claims Palmieri is coveted by his former team, the New Jersey Devils.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello recently said his club’s performance will determine his course of action by the trade deadline. They’ve improved in recent weeks but are six points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth. He could become a seller if they’re still in that position when the calendar flips to March.
Lamoriello is a hall of famer, but he has become lost, the Islanders should have retooled or rebuilt 3 years ago. Sad to see really
Kent, I’m not about to dispute your contention that the game has long left Lamoriello in its wake, and that it’s time he step aside for someone more in tune with today’s realities.
But I would be cautious about discounting them from playoff action just yet. They’re currently just 7 points back of the first WC slot with 3 games in hand on Boston, and are among the 10 hottest teams in the league over the past 10 for each, and winners of their past 4:
Washington 7-1-2 16 pts
Winnipeg 7-2-1 15 pts
Columbus 8-2-1 15 pts
Ottawa 7-2-1 15 pts
NYR 6-1-3 15 pts
NYI 7-3-0 14 pts
Edmonton 7-3-0 14 pts
Nashville 7-3-0 14 pts
Montreal 6-2-2 14 pts
Carolina 6-2-2 14 pts
And they’ve been doing this despite a clutch of key injuries.
Didnt say they cant make the playoffs, even if doubtful, but there is zero chance of them going very far
Ahh, ok .. sorry about that … and agree re playoff performance should they make them.
I notice today that Lou made a deal with St. Louis for 26 y/o LD Scott Perunovich who they had drafted in the 2nd round 46th overall in 2018, for a conditional 2026 5th round pick.
Marner isnt waving and the leafs arent trading him.. That being said, when the AVS who have won a cup decide to move on from Mikko Rantanen bc they dont think have enough depth to compete for one, it should scream “let him walk ” to Leafs management. Then again some teams are in it to win a cup and some are there in words only. Rantanen and the Marner arent even close in terms of playoff impact and one got dealt the other will demand and probably get close to Matthews money. Complete mess of a franchise. What a ballsy move, no fear, Avs, Florida, Vegas – they just get it….dont they ?
Sam you are dead on with Vegas,Fla. and Colorado! Here s my best example,everyone in Boston was expecting Hanifan to come home and sign as a UFA! Vegas beat them to the punch by trading for him,and signing him to a long term deal!Those GMS aren t afraid to swing and miss! And players want to play there!All these GMS handcuffing themselves with NMC and NTC are afraid to make deals! Do you think TB regrets letting Stamkos go,or Vegas with Marchessault?
Sr- exactly. There is patience- then there is next level. We havent seen a real trade in years. Dubas never made one and Treliving has yet to make one. Just small tweaks around this core. Even now – the talk of resigning JT – why? We havent won anything- I dont care what the salary is – lets see how it plays out. If Marner and JT deliver you look at financial options- but if not -move on. Much as I am not fan of Marner- its more about the mix- you need to address it.
Hey why would a team just let an all-situations 100pt player walk or not resign him? I think that thinking is really unrealistic. Good players are hard to get, great ones rarely are available so you try to make it work before you entertain the notion of moving off from one (regardless his name or team).
Teams win when they have a good collection of players and those odds increase with better players so it’s pointless to move off a player like Marner when you dont have a good enough replacement nor find one available on another team.
Depends Ron, you can`t just give him the moon if it means you can`t improve the team in other areas that need it. If Treliving knows that he can`t resign him at a cost that fits in their pay structure, then he needs to make every effort to trade him. The idea is to win a cup, not make a player richer than heck. If Marner`s solely after money then that 8th year may mean a lot to him and if he knows resigning with Toronto is out of the question. Then he might just agree to a trade. Dubas made a mess of things by overpaying the kids, why perpetuate the problem. Like they say, you`re either part of the solution or part of the problem. And right now, half way through the season and still not resigned says he`s a part of the problem. I believe the big change will come at the end of the year when Shanahan is no longer running the circus. With Matthews injure problems and the fact that you can`t go all in every year, Toronto can`t afford to let assets walk for free
As a pure outsider but one who does get to see a lot of Leafs games I have to say that, if Matthews and Nylander are going to be considered among the “elite” (as well they should be) then, so too should Marner if you compare their respective production over the course of their similar-length careers, including 82-game averages.
Matthews – 597gp 388 goals and 259 assists for 82-game averages of 53g 41a 94 pts
Nylander – 653gp 345 goals and 333 assists for 82-game averages of 31g 42a 75 pts
Marner – 626gp 209 goals and 498 assists for 82-game averages of 27g 65a 92 pts
Playoffs
Matthews – 55gp 23 goals and 25 assists for 48 pts
Nyalnder – 54gp 20 goals and 23 assists for 43 pts
Marner – 57gp 11 goals and 39 assists for 50 pts
Clearly, Matthews and Nylander are the superior snipers and that’s become their expected main contributions, both seasonal and playoffs, whereas Marner’s main strength lies in his ability to better handle the puck and set up the snipers he happens to be out there with.
So the question becomes, if he’s dealt – or worse, allowed to walk away for nothing – what are their chances of finding, either in the system or through a trade, a winger who can be his equal in setting up the snipers?
On the other side of the coin, I can see Yogi’s point of looking at it as the need not to put yourself into a position of having all your cap “eggs” in a basket of 5 or 6 players and so making it annually difficult to flesh out a competitive 23-man roster.
And there, the Leafs are far from alone as many teams are discovering as the cap continues to rise but not nearly enough to cover the generally-accepted philosophy that “your best players have to be paid the highest salaries.” Something, over the long haul, simply cannot be followed under a fixed-cap system.
You`re not going to find somebody in any teams system who`ll simply walk in and replace somebody like a Marner. That`s one point of not being able to let a player of that quality simply walk away for free. An own rental may look like the best move for some teams who have enough good prospects in the pipeline to limit the damage of losing a player like that. Simply put, at this time Toronto doesn`t thanks to Dubas`s bad trades. If you knew this was Toronto`s last swipe at the cup, different story. But to let Marner walk away for free with nothing to replace him with, you may of well just closed the window by letting him walk. Having 11 million extra of cap space looks good on July 1st only if there`s something worth spending it on. Is Colorado out of the playoffs because they traded Rantanen, no
If you want to play hardball with Marner you give him a deadline to come to a deal before the deadline and tell him that there will no negotiations come July if they can’t come to an agreement. If no deal is made ask him to name some acceptable trade destinations and then go to work making a trade deadline deal. For what Marner is likely expecting to get, you could retool the entire bottom six and made this team a legitimate contender. Right now they’re looking to repeat their recent playoff history with a weak bottom six and burned out top six who have been relied on too much to carry the team to the playoffs, then crash…
Rantinen didn’t seem too happy about the trade. Marner is going to push the contact envelope in Toronto and he will not agree to a trade.Toronto lets him walk and uses his money to sign rantinen when he becomes free agent at seasons end.
It reminds me of the Hossa situation in Ottawa. A conversation was had. Muckler said “I can’t pay you that. IF you demand it, I’ll trade you”. Hossa’s camp demanded it. And he got traded. Business is business.
I highly doubt rantinen goes to the leafs. Marner has complete control and bark g a cup will most likely screw them. He is having a solid year again, but is he worth upwards of 12-13. He proabably thinks so. In case of rantinen he has only his agent to blame. You play hardball with some gms and you might not like the result.
You hit the nail on the head Owen. With Dubas, he lost everytime going into contract negotiations, now that makes it even harder for Treviling to put his foot down now or continue to be a team with 3 or 4 high paid players and no money for the depth it needs to win. Treliving needs to make a stand before the deadline
Truth is had TML and Marner gotten the deal Colorado got they would have jumped on it.
Necas (ppg player) Drury (young 3C) a 2nd and 4th would alter the makeup and open possibilities for TML.
Marner would be going to another strong contending team and still be UFA at the end of the year
@habfan we would never gotten that offer for marner or yes we would jump (if he didnt have a NTC).
Dubas really destroyed this team- really really crippled them-
To your point HF30, the TML would not get the return that Rantanen did. Regardless of how you value the player.
Marner has a full NMC, Rantanen has a 10 team NTC. Huge difference.
You can make trade suggestions all day, but bottom line is you will be negotiating with one team or less, and right now it is less, as Marner has made clear.
I will be shocked if he is traded, as he has already made it clear he is staying. Tre won’t even be asking, because why would he. No upside.
The return would suck relative to his value, might as well keep him. Leafs are in first place, why F with it. Enjoy the ride Leafs fans as you might even get a good one this spring.
Ray I think HF30 was implying all things be equal (agreed to move on) but you’re also correct in getting a suitable return of equal value but fans can take comfort in the cap space gained (and ultimately absorbed) by the combined lesser players acquired.
This past trade with the Avs/Canes has yet to uncover a victor of the deal yet but people think it’s clearly decided.
Yup. “A kings ransom “ is bad language to use. Rantinen is a better player and I don’t think he got a kings ransom. Plus all the nmc stuff you sited.
Ray, the fact there is a legion of Leafs fans out there was graphically brought home here by the wave of blue jerseys in the arena Saturday night with the Leafs visiting.
And it seems that their numbers are matched by almost an equal variety of suggestion/solutions as to how to improve and already pretty decent aggregation.
Earlier this morning, trying to find something interesting to watch on TV other than the crushingly mundane morning offerings (outside the news and weather channels), I turned to YouTube and was flipping through there where, as per usual, there’s a host of blogs hosted by 20-somethings blaring headlines like “Are the Leafs On The Verge Of A Stunning, Mind-Blowing Trade?”
Just for the heck of it I opened one such which, in addition to offering the opinion that Treleving should have been in on the Rantanen deal with a better offer that should have included Marner, went on to lament that some changes at least need to be made to prevent losses to “bad teams like Ottawa.” Apparently, the fact Ottawa is just 6 pts back of the Leafs after 50gp by each is a non-factor. LOL.
But I hasten to add that I don’t want to signal out that Leafs Nation is alone on that score – I’m sure there are just as passionate a variety of fans of other teams out there … just that there are so many more involving Toronto.
George don`t even start with those idiot bloggers, I made that mistake a while back. The bullsh^t those guys put out, unreal. Ray, if Marner`s only goal is to get as money as he can from his next contract, then he will be open to a trade if he knows he won`t get it from Toronto. That 8th year will be worth maybe 13 or 14 million to him and he can`t get it or make up the difference on July 1st. To make up the difference on July 1st he has to be asking 15 or 16 million and I can`t imagine any other team being that stupid. That`s why Tre needs to get something done by the TDL. Toronto just doesn`t have enough prospects to recover from letting him walk for nothing. And no, Marner won`t bring the return most fans would hope for. Hell I`d trade Marner for Rantanen any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Is Drury Middelstadt’s replacement?
I highly doubt Utah or Vancouver are going to traded one of their best players for a rental player especially since they’re not even in a playoff spot.
How can you get a kings ransom for a player that has a no trade clause OMG
Leafs need to stop and think with in the window they have
You need Marnier to agree to a trade destination and he wants to play in Toronto
Carolina will have no problem signing Rantanen. Could mean not bringing back lesser players who are ufa. I posted yesterday about Chicago getting their 3rd rounder back and how it could lead to them trying to offer sheet a rfa. Always get confused with that. Any offer sheet comp will be 2026 picks. Since there’s no mention of JT Miller today, I’d like to throw out Panarins name into rumors. Full nmc, but let’s make it happen! Also 1 year left on deal after this season.
Rantanen was happy, he’s UFA at the end of the tear, nobody saw him being traded.
Marner is in the same boat, NMC doesn’t mean movement is forbidden, it means the player has to accept it. Going to a contending team for a few months is pretty agreeable if you feel unwanted.
I don’t know what he’d fetch on the market but i think Colorado got quite a haul and see no reason why Marner wouldn’t do the same.
Rantanen- 620 gp-287g/394a/681pts 1.09 ppg.
Marner- 626gp/209g/498a.707pts- 1.13 ppg
They have different strengths and weaknesses but both are elite and any GM would want on their team.
The only real difference is that Marner has become a whipping boy for a fan base and a target for armchair GMs
marner is not elite… as a Leaf fan I am telling you he is not elite. he does not create his own chances. He has literally played with Matthews or JT his whole career- what can he do without them? Will never know bc they never try- which is beyond me. You think you would want to know if the guy asking for 13 mill can do it himself. Like Nylander does all the time.
Liike Matthews did with Domi and Bertuzzi
I would take Pastrnak, Draisatl, Kaprizov Rantanen Kucherov Connor Reinhart Nylander and Guentzel all before Marner….
I just dont see what everyone else does I guess…
Sam I agree with you on Marner not being elite! He has played with great offensive players his whole career! I wonder what his stats would look like if he played with Zacha or Coyle like Pasternak has! Pasternak has had the most goals in the month of January!We Don t need to talk about Toronto s lack of playoff success
! Elite players make other players around them better!
lol Sam. You kill me. You sound like the fans that claimed the Leafs have a better record with Matthews out than healthy.
If you don’t like a guy who constantly scores close to 100pts every season, about a point per playoff game – that he’s been doing for 7 years helping his team get in the postseason since he joined the team after playing his D1 (the season played in London after he was drafted by the Leafs) in jr hockey. I don’t know about you Sam, but most players or people in general, reach their full potential after 25 and some take longer…. My point, if it’s not clear, your expectations are unrealistic. Like him or not, Marner is a quintessential elite player in every way one can view him…ok maybe not elite in putting guys through the boards, happy?
Not claim Ron, actual facts, look em up. Not saying Toronto`s a better team, they just seem to play a different, better game. This year perfect example, the injures they had, the better they played. The big mystery is why can`t they play that game when the injured players get back. 31 teams have seen what Marner and Matthews can do together on a line and on the PP. All 31 teams have a game plan for them. When Matthews was injured it Force Toronto to do things differently, regular lines and PP. They went to the net, got greasy goals as Berube calls them. Whether you like it or not Ron they played a better more complete game. The facts prove that. Does that take away from Matthews, nope, just proves they do know what it takes to win. The mystery is why can`t they do with Matthews
When you mention Nylander do you mean William who has 5 goals/2 assists/7 points in 12 games in January, while making $11.5 million a year. Or do you mean his brother with the Marlies? If you mean Willy, it’s apparent he doesn’t do it all himself.
yeah william- the guy that has double the goals Marner does while playing with scrubs and 5 less minutes a game.- that guy.. The guy that doesnt sulk. The guy that can be critiqued by his coach without crying. That’s the one.
3x 90 point player Mitch Marner about to demand 13 mill ..AND Marner can kill penalties too! So we can give David Kampf and Connor Dewar a break lol.
You know who else has 90 pts 3 times in the last 9 years… Brayden Point- go check his salary- I know who I am taking in a playoff series.
First off, and to repeat myself, Marner has a full NMC and said he is staying in Toronto. Which means, that if for some unknown reason he decides he wants to be traded, he will pick the destination. That means, you will get less in return.
To 87’s point, the only team he will agree to go to is a contender, and likely the west to keep Tre happy. Have a look at the cap space situation for contenders. COL could make it work…. oh wait, they just walked from a guy because they didn’t want to pay him what he likely wanted.
Any others standing out to the trade Marner folks? I didn’t see any either.
Saying trade him for guys who make less money and give you a more rounded team, is easy to say. Throw a couple scenarios out there that actually make sense.
1 – the odds he gets traded aren’t zero, they never are, but seriously folks why would Marner do that?
2 – Why would Tre do that? Again, if you can even find a team that could, return would be worth far less than Marner in value. If you disagree with me, all good, but let us know what you think is in any way realistic.
3 – HEY LEAF FANS YOU”RE IN 1ST PLACE!!
Seriously WTF are you guys whining about all the time with Marner. My god, think about it.
Marner is 4th in the league in scoring and leads the next closest Leaf by 18 points. He isn’t the reason they lose in the playoffs. And no, Pasta wasn’t his man last season.
Yes Ron, he is an elite player and driver of offense.
I know the Leafs playoff history, my Bruins have contributed, but plenty of teams have years of playoff failure, until they win. And they go zero to hero.
Tavares, needs a new deal and will be 35 next season, trade Marner folks may want to think long and hard about who will drive offence on this team for the next few years if you lose Marner. If you want to be the B’s without enough elite offensive players, go for it, see how ya like it.
Someone needs to explain to me who they replace him with. The cap will be rising huge over next few seasons by all predictions, the Leafs can do this and should IMO.
My prediction is Marner will get paid in the off season and the Leafs will pay him. Yes at least $13M.
I know it isn’t all Leaf fans, but this is why we think what we do.
Rant over.
Ron let`s say Marner on July 1st signs a 7 year deal at 13 per. That would be about the equivalent of signing for about 11,5 per in Toronto on an 8 year deal. I`m pretty sure if that was the case, Tre would`ve already had a deal done by now and most of the fans would be happy. Chances are Marner`s asking price is a lot more than 13 per. At some point you have to say too rich for my blood. All to have to do is look at Rantanen, rumoured 14 per, plays a lot with McKinnon. Colorado said thanks, but no thanks. Did Colorado get what he`s worth, no. For years I listened to everybody say how stupid the Leafs were to pay 4 guys almost half the cap space, now the same are saying Toronto`s stupid if they don`t pay. Tavares`s new contract won`t be anywhere close to 11 per. Why would Marner agree to a trade, the 8th year and he might go for a trade to team he feels is close to being there soon. But Treliving needs to deal with this before the TDL, sign or trade him. And yes Toronto`s in 1st place a whopping 7 points ahead of Columbus, who aren`t in a playoff position
Yogi, correct me if I’m wrong, but I think Marner stated he wants to stay in Toronto and won’t discuss a new contract during the season.
Can’t hurt to try to open up the contract discussion, but might want to think through asking him to waive his NMC before the TDL. If he and his agent have already told the Leafs what I wrote above, now your messing with your leading scorer down the stretch.
I don’t think Tre does that if he has already been told what reality is because it is very likely not going to change anything. Again, the Leafs are in first place, they have a real good shot to go on a run. That has to be the focus for MGT.
So kinda risky isn’t it?
If that wasn’t discussed have at er, but that’s what I remember from this past summer and when the season started as we had this same debate.
The time to call his bluff on the AAV $ is after the season as everything you said will still be true. Plus he wants to stay in Toronto, maybe he takes a slight discount.
I think that might be the plan as much as many Leaf fans don’t like it. But hey, if they lose in RD 1 again, and Marner struggles, then OK I suppose all bets are off. But I think the Atlantic is easier than it has been in a long time.
Cheer up guys, you got a good shot at it this year. Focus on addition, not subtraction.
lol Ron-you kill me you. You sound like the fans that compare marner to gretzky….
Reach full potential ? Jesus. The guy is going to want 13 mill and we should bank on “trust me bro” i will get there. It is not the skill level- its the style of play- there is no sacrifice in his game, he refuses to adjust his style for the playoff game. And I dont know about you Ron, but you may have noticed its a little different than the shinny being played during the year.
Im not looking for a knuckle dragger – did I give that impression? I dont have an issue with JT or Matthews or Nylander? Do they put guys through the boards?
I see nothing that resembles a player that can endure a long playoff run let alone contribute like an “elite player”
Always referencing baseless stats when his style of play is obviously lacking- but since you want to reference stats?
Constantly close to 100 points? He has been over 90 points 3 times in 9 years!!!!!… sounds like 3 x in 9 years – not “constantly” and yet not one time a 100 point season despite playing with world class centres…
Quintessentially over-rated
Happy ?
You are funny, always provide for good laugh reading the dung you post.
Sr
I continue to wonder why the Leafs need a 3C
I have always wondered why they haven’t put either Marner or Nylander at 3C.
I look back at the Pittsburg teams that used Phil Kessel on the 3rd line and he ate them up.
Tavares can play with Nylander and Matthews can play with Domi on his RW.
Regardless of salary, play Marner on 3rd line with Robertson and Lorentz. I think they would do just fine and spread the offence around.
They need to solidify their defence as guys like Myers, Benoit will be exposed in the playoffs if the Leafs get into injury trouble.
I highly doubt Marner agrees to a trade. I also don’t think he’s interested in much of a salary discount either
Kessel never played center. They did however have the three headed monster when Jordan staal was back there. Great third line center.
It was the hbk line for awhile. Kessel bonino hagelin. That was a good one.
Chrisms
Yes, I realize Kessel never played C on that line but he was still an excellent player.
Crosby and Malkin didn’t need him to prop up their line. They made their wingers better. Same as Kessel did for Bonino
Hell…Tavares turned Matt Moulson into a 40 G winger…
I get your point. But kessel not the perfect example. I’ve watched Crosby and Mario and to a lesser extent Malkin make other players better. Kessel didn’t necessarily do that. He was just a good part of a good trio. And no knock on Kessel. He shoulda won a conn smythe.
Toronto has tried both Marner and Nylander as centres, a number of times, neither can play the position good enough to stay. Playing centre in jrs, doesn`t mean a player even as good as Marner or Nylander can do it at the NHL level
They have NEVER put Marner at center. Further more Bozak and JVR is the only line combination he has had where he has not had a 1st overall selection as his center or even winger.
Yogi
I disagree.
Neither Marner or Nylander have ever been given a real opportunity to play C at the NHL level. A couple games here and there and the coach panics and put Marner back with Matthews and Nylander somewhere else.
Both of them played C as junior aged players.
E Pettersson to the Sens for Norris ++ is the new rumor!
Make it Norris, Yakemchuk and a Jensen for Petey and Desharnais
This should get George going!
so after years of floundering because we have no right shot defense, the answer is to trade away our best R defense prospect AND a more veteran R shot?
And our increasingly capable centre for a guy who signed a long contract and immediately turtled?
Why? Why and also… why?
The only explanation for your post is literally your sign off, to somehow trigger George.
Heh … and, if so, it failed.
Seriously, with the walking wounded slowly drifting back, augmented by the coming 4 Nations break from February 12 to the resumption of NHL play on February 22 (and, where Ottawa is concerned in terms of scheduled games – a break from Sunday Feb 9 to Friday Feb 21st – I doubt Staois gets into any “big ticket” trade discussions as they approach the trade deadline. And certainly not involving a top prospect like Yakemchuk.
Indeed, some of the returnees will be like incoming acquisitions in and of themselves (Gregor, Cousins, Bernard-Docker), and there I include Perron even though he is back as we speak since I really think he can be a major factor in bottom 6 production down the stretch. The extra time off can only do him and Ullmark good as well (as long as the latter doesn’t decide to suit up for Sweden).
@George I of course wanted to see Ullmark on team Sweden, but when it comes to brass tacks, I do not care one bit about this 4 Nations Cup. It’s about a consequential to me as this new fangled “In season NBA Cup” crap except less of an impact.
That said, I do NOT want him to be resting yup now just to play in that tournament… that’s not what he gets paid for. He better just heal up and be ready for the stretch… but I have to say, I still love Leevi and what he’s bringing!
But yeah… the pieces are falling into place at a decent pace now, why make a major trade?
Slick62, good info as far as next years offer sheet/draft picks go. I also heard Friedman talking about the Hawks getting their own 3rd back to possibly use for an offer sheet but that pick would have only come into play last summer as the draft comes before free agency. Still the Hawks have all their own high picks in the 26 draft and could be a major player this offseason in both free agency and possible offer sheets. Could Rantanen get an offer from Chicago that’s too good to turn down? Bédard and the big Fin would help the Hawks back to where they want to go in a big hurry. With the cap rising at such a steep rate I imagine there will be a greater emphasis for teams to reup their own restricted free agents before seasons end. Chevy better sign Vilardi quick!!
Re Marner potential trade
Full trade protection, so ONLY if he agrees.
He’s publicly stated that he’s staying. Anybody can change their minds but highly unlikely. Can’t be more than 1% chance of that.
So let’s say that 1% or less chance somehow comes through. He’s only going to waive to go to a contender; and Leafs aren’t going send him anywhere in the East
Now with only looking at a contender in the West, odds now have to be way less than 1%
Got to have a similar type of deal (Rantinen/Necas) coming back (a PPG player at less Cap hit, with at least 1 more year). That player must not have full trade protection (two key PPG players , both agreeing to waive to leave???? Nope)
So what are the possibilities (must be West cup contender, PPG, not fully trade protected, lesser cap hit, not UFA); and do they actually have any chance of being traded
Necas; nope
Connor; nope
Makar; nope
Zero chance Marner gets moved
Ok first off Rantinan is not coming to T.O as he’s looking for 14mill per year. He’s also best friends WITH ALHO. So if he going to take a discount it would probably be there.
Second the Aves need to extend Makar soon. So they need the money for that.
Who is Elliot Friedman’s hair dresser?
Great clips