If the New Jersey Devils landed someone like Mitch Marner, it would change everything.
Mitch Marner has the ability to be a top-ten NHL scorer. He gets a large portion of his points from being a setup man but he can score some goals as well. He carries a large-cap hit and the Leafs have a lot of players with that right now. If they were to move any of their double-digit cap hit players, Mitch Marner is probably the first in line. Auston Matthews and John Tavares are probably pretty safe.
If the New Jersey Devils wanted to get a player like this, they would pay a lot but they would be getting the best player in the deal. A 2021 1st-round pick (NYI), Jesper Boqvist, Will Butcher, and Tyce Thompson is a lot but you make that deal 10 out of 10 times. You don’t know exactly what the future holds for the three young players but they are all cheap options that the Leafs could use. The first-round pick for the Islanders should be in play as we go into draft season.
If Marner played with New Jersey, there would be a lot of places to fit him in. You would think that he plays on one of Nico Hischeir’s or Jack Hughes’ wings. Hughes and Marner are both “pass first” guys so you would think that Nico would get the first crack. Hischier is also less gifted offensively than Hughes so having someone like Marner there would really help him reach his ceiling.