Report: Leafs, Golden Knights discussing sign-and-trade for Mitch Marner

Huge things are brewing between Sin City and the hockey mecca of the world.

According to multiple reports, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights are in active discussions about a sign-and-trade deal involving forward Mitch Marner.

Per reports, the Maple Leafs could receive forward Nicolas Roy and defenseman Nicolas Hague as part of the trade. Roy has a cap hit of $3 million through the 2026-27 season, while Hague is a pending restricted free agent. According to CapWages, the Golden Knights have a little over $7.6 million in projected cap space. If Marner signs for what many are projecting – seven years with an AAV of $13 million – the Golden Knights are going to have to clear up some more space.

The potential trade would be similar to the one the Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers agreed to in July 2022, in which Matthew Tkachuk signed an eight-year contract extension with the Flames before being traded to the Panthers in a blockbuster deal.

Marner has been a hot topic over the past few weeks, as the skillful winger has been on a path to becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1. It became almost crystal clear that the Toronto native was going to test the market when general manager Brad Treliving stated this past Thursday that Marner will most likely become a UFA.

“I wouldn’t say a whole lot has changed right now. We’ve had communication,” Treliving said to the media this past Thursday. “Unless there’s a significant change here, I would anticipate he’s going to hit the market, and we’ll see where things go.”

The Golden Knights have been projected as one of the top destinations for Marner—a talented team with the mindset of going after the game’s biggest names. Despite winning the franchise’s first Stanley Cup two years ago, Vegas clearly wants to make another run at a championship.

In 657 regular-season games with the Leafs, Marner has scored 221 goals and 520 assists for 741 points, including 63 points in 70 postseason appearances. This past season, he set career highs in assists (75) and points (102) in 81 games.