In a different world, Mitch Marner could have spent the past season in Las Vegas.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Golden Knights talked about potential deals involving the star forward last summer, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Friday’s 32 Thoughts: The Podcast.
However, the deal was never “realistic,” Friedman said.
Toronto asked for defenceman Shea Theodore but was rebuffed by Vegas.
“As I heard they told people, ‘You wanna watch Shea Theodore? You can buy a ticket to watch him play for us.’ And they followed through on their word,” Friedman said.
32 Thoughts: The Podcast
Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.
Theodore, 29, was a member of the champion 2023 Golden Knights. He put up 57 points (seven goals, 50 assists) in 67 regular-season games this season and represented Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Meanwhile, the sides were unsure whether Marner would even consider waiving his no-movement clause to join the Golden Knights, Friedman said.
The potential Golden Knights move is not the first Marner trade discussion that has become public.
In the wake of the trade deadline, it was reported that Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving asked Marner to waive his NMC for a deal to the Carolina Hurricanes for Mikko Rantanen, but Marner refused.
Marner’s wife, Stephanie, gave birth to a baby boy in between the first and second rounds of the playoffs.
The 28-year-old recorded a career-high 102 points and 75 assists during the regular season. He added 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 13 post-season contests.
Now, he is set to hit unrestricted free agency as of July 1.
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Treliving said during his end-of-season press conference on Thursday that he couldn’t give “a definitive answer” on Marner’s future.
“We’ve got to, No. 1, go through the process with Mitch. Our staff is in the process now of looking at all different outcomes. But we’ve got to kind of drive what we think is the best outcome. In Mitch’s case, he’s got a say in the matter,” Treliving said.
Another key free agent for the Maple Leafs — albeit one of the restricted variety — is power forward Matthew Knies, who recorded 29 goals and 29 assists during the regular season while mostly playing on a top line next to Marner and Auston Matthews.
Friedman said there is mutual interest in striking a deal.
“I believe everyone here is well aware of the offer sheet possibilities or threat of them. I think that the Maple Leafs would like to avoid even the possibility of this being a question and I think Knies is willing,” he said.
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However, with the salary cap projected to rise in each of the next three seasons and potentially beyond, it could be a tough negotiation.
“I think Knies would be happy doing eight years, I think the Leafs would be happy doing eight years. … Are they gonna be able to agree on what an eight-year deal would look like?” Friedman said.
In any case, Toronto’s forward group — which once again struggled to score in big moments of the playoffs — could be slated for a renovation during the off-season.
“I do think they’re gonna contemplate buyouts at the bottom of the forward lineup and I think they’re gonna investigate everything they can to make their forward group better,” Friedman said.
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