Mitch Marner
Photo credit: The Leafs Nation

We’re in the final phase of the off-season, as GMs are buttoning up their rosters and speculation is all the rage.

image

The winger who has been in the rumor mill the most this off-season, was the Toronto Maple Leafs forward, Mitch Marner. Of course, Marner has a no-trade clause and is capable of deciding where he lands next, likely the reason he remains a Maple Leaf at this point in the year.

While Marner doesn’t want to leave Toronto, The Athlet’s Mark Lazerus who covers the Blackhawks reported that there could be a huge trade between the Blackhawks and Maple Leafs.

In his latest column with The Athletic, he dropped the names of Mitch Marner and John Tavares as players the Blackhawks could approach next season:

With Mitch Marner, Brock Boeser, Nikolaj Ehlers, John Tavares, Shea Theodore and Aaron Ekblad among the players slated for unrestricted free agency next summer, just as players such as Oliver Moore and Levshunov are ready to break into the NHL for good, things could get interesting very quickly.
Chicago Blackhawks Linked to 5 Trade Candidates, Per Report - On Tap Sports  Net
– Mark Lazerus

It is fun to speculate who could end up on the Blackhawks, but it will be quite some time before John Tavares or Mitch Marner hit the market again. The Blackhawks cannot hope and wait for the availability of a star player in free agency, unless we’re talking Marian Hossa with a Delorean here.

However, building a top team through free agency isn’t how it’s done successfully anymore.

It seems unlikely that the Blackhawks could make an offer to either winger in the future.