Pierre Lebrun drops a massive update on a Mitch Marner trade

PUBLICATION

Graham Montgomery
May 21, 2024 (7:46 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

Mitch Marner has consistently been in trade rumors since the Leafs were eliminated but today NHL insider Pierre LeBrun put a damper on those rumors to an extent.

The discussion sprung up again today after the Nashville Predators made a major move, trading defenseman Ryan McDonagh back to the Tampa Bay Lightning, freeing up about 7 million in cap space for the team. The Predators have been one of the teams linked to Marner in rumors, so this move obviously raised eyebrows across the league.

I asked Barry Trotz if he'd be interested in acquiring Mitch Marner, with now some $25 million in cap room.

His response is pretty hilarious and he shrugged it off as «just rumors.»

However, LeBrun quickly responded to the speculation that cropped up after the move. He confirmed that the Leafs have not yet had any official discussions with other teams about the possibility of a trade involving Marner. However, he did suggest that the team may be looking into such discussions now that they have found their new head coach.

Just FYI, it's my understanding as of this moment that the Maple Leafs have not spoken to a single team about Mitch Marner. The Leafs were focused on the coaching situation which they've handled now. But there hasn't been any trade conversations regarding Marner.
Obviously we'll see how the next two months play out, no doubt teams will come calling the Leafs on him closer to the draft next month.

It would make sense for the Predators to pursue Marner, especially after the McDonagh trade. After all, Barry Trotz is supposedly in the market to bring a high-end offensive talent to the team. The McDonagh trade was reportedly done to facilitate such a move, by freeing up the cap space necessary to add a player of that caliber.

It appears the purpose of the McDonagh trade was to set up Barry Trotz to aggressively pursue a top scorer.

The Preds have been linked with Mitch Marner for the past few weeks and now have a cap hit of $61,654,199 for next season which gives them lots of room for a trade.

[Source: @MGsports_]

#leafsforever

Marner has become highly divisive among Leafs fans, especially after his showing in the playoffs this year. As such, he may very well appreciate a quieter life in a market like Nashville, that still supports their team while having less media attention on the national stage.

It's not the Mitch Marner stans that are insufferable it's the people who want to throw tomatoes at him in the town square like it's 1311 that are

Be sure to stay in touch with the Leafs news this offseason as it ultimately sounds like Marner will be on the move.