Trade Rumors Regarding Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs Persist.

As media conjecture over whether Mitch Marner would be better served by a different team persists, the Toronto Maple Leafs have already started their off-season roster overhaul.

After losing in the first round of the playoffs once more, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot of questions going into their offseason. The greatest question right now is Mitch Marner's future with the organization after the franchise fired coach Sheldon Keefe on Thursday.

Marner's contract has one year left on it and carries a $10.9 million cap cost. If the right winger, who is 27 years old, and the Leafs cannot agree on a contract extension, he will become a UFA in July of next year. As his teammates stood by him in the face of criticism over his performance during their opening-round series against the Boston Bruins, he made it clear that he was willing to be a Leaf.

Nevertheless, some pundits continue to believe that Marner will become a trade candidate this summer despite his lackluster performance against the Bruins.

According to Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star, who was reported by Michael DeRosa of The Hockey News, Marner would do better in a Sunshine State where he can be the best player and still remain anonymous. He suggested sending defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for the winger. He added the Utah franchise to his list of possible destinations.

Don't expect the Lightning swap to happen anytime soon. Their low cap space makes it difficult for them to re-sign captain Steven Stamkos. They will not move Sergachev, who is under contract through 2030–31 and has a no-trade provision that takes effect on July 1st, to thin out their defense group.

Utah has plenty of trade capital in the form of draft selections and prospects to entice the Leafs, and they can easily pay Marner's price. They may not be among his top trading destinations, though.

Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun proposed that Marner test the trade market to see if he can fetch a No. 1 defenseman if he is ready to waive his no-movement clause. If that doesn't work out, they may utilize the cash they would have spent on re-signing him to sign a top blueliner in the trade or free-agent markets of the following summer.

Steve Simmons, Koshan's colleague, wasn't sure Marner and John Tavares, the captain of the Leafs, would consent to waive their NMCs. Additionally, he believes that Marner's one-year contract will limit his trade value relative to his worth.

Even so, some analysts continue to suggest trade locations and situations.

Adam Proteau of THN recommended Marner's new teams to be the Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Islanders, Anaheim Ducks, and Utah.

Ryan Dixon of Sportsnet pitched to the Seattle Kraken for Shane Wright and Adam Larsson, the Columbus Blue Jackets for Kent Johnson and a first-round pick, the Philadelphia Flyers in a three-team trade with the San Jose Sharks, and the Calgary Flames in a multi-player blockbuster that sent goalie Jacob Markstrom and defenseman Rasmus Andersson to Toronto.

Jonathan Bailey of Philly Hockey Now thinks the Flyers should avoid signing Marner because of his track record as a patchy playoff player. Whether commentators in those other cities share the same opinion is yet to be determined.