Elliotte Friedman reveals failed blockbuster trade involving Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner and $51,975,000 Golden Knights star

NHL: Vegas Golden Knights at Toronto Maple Leafs - Source: Imagn
NHL: Shea Theodore & Mitch Marner - Source: Imagn

Another day brings another new update on the situation between Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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It's the time of the year when reports and rumors fuel the hockey world, with 30 of the 32 NHL fan bases' focus having shifted onto the offseason.

We're still over a month away from the start of free agency on July 1; however, that won't stop the talk about superstar winger Mitch Marner's future. The 28-year-old is set to be a UFA, having just completed the final season of his six-year, $65,408,000 contract extension signed with the Maple Leafs in 2019.

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While much of the speculation surrounds what his future holds, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed a potential blockbuster trade involving Marner that failed to materialize last offseason.

He shared the details during the latest episode of "32 Thoughts: The Podcast," which he posted the link to on X (formerly Twitter).

"I do believe, on some level, last year, that the Maple Leafs and Vegas talked about a trade. And this was last summer. At some point, I think Vegas was interested in Marner. I think Toronto talked to them. Nobody has ever confirmed it, and I think there were two reasons it never even got close. And number one was that I think Toronto was interested in Shea Theodore. And as the Golden Knights proved, they were not interested in trading him. They wanted to keep him," Friedman said (49:00).
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"As I heard, they told people, 'You want to watch Shea Theodore, you're going to watch him. You can buy a ticket to watch him play for us.' And they followed through on their word. And the second thing is, I just think there was no guarantee that Marner at that time was going to be agreeing to anything. So while I do think the two teams talked about it and Vegas had some interest, I don't think it was ever, ever realistic because of those two reasons." Friedman added.
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Shea Theodore wound up signing a seven-year, $51,975,000 contract extension with the Golden Knights at the beginning of the 2024-25 regular season.

Vegas remains a strong option for Mitch Marner this offseason

While their attempt to acquire Mitch Marner last summer fell through, the Vegas Golden Knights could go back to the well in the coming months.

NHL insider Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff mentioned the Anaheim Ducks and Golden Knights as teams to keep an eye on in the Marner sweepstakes. Leafs Latest re-posted his comments on X.

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"The Anaheim Ducks are a team to keep an eye on for Mitch Marner, along with the Vegas Golden Knights. Anaheim could offer Marner more privacy and is reportedly willing to spend big. Still, the Vegas Golden Knights seem like the best overall fit if the Leafs were to explore a sign-and-trade," Seravalli said.
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Vegas has become well-known for its willingness to go big-game hunting and acquire top players. So, after a disappointing second-round exit in these playoffs, expect the Golden Knights to be extremely active this summer.

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Edited by Jackson Weber
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