Hello darkness, err we mean Toronto, my old friend. We’ve come to the obligatory Mitch Marner trade. Of course, it’s a big price. Marner is going to garner a big price. He’s a superstar in his prime that’s capable of hitting 100 points every season. He at one point was considered a Selke-level forward. That’s not his gig anymore, but he’s capable of that.
This one was a weird one, as the Devils and Leafs swap a lot of NHL-level pieces. It’s also not insane, which was almost offputting. It kind of makes sense, even.
The Devils know that Dougie Hamilton is a risk just because of the type of injury he suffered. A torn pec is not easy to overcome, but it’s worth the risk for a Leafs team looking for superstar help on the blue line. They also get Alex Holtz, who at his peak could be a scorer alongside John Tavares or an underrated playmaker with Auston Matthews. At worst, he can be a weapon on the third line.
Timothy Liljegren is similar to Holtz in that it seems like he didn’t have a chance to succeed at his fullest potential, but with Sheldon Keefe in New Jersey, it might not be the best place for him. At the very least, everyone considers this, and it might even be the Leafs who say no because of the added cap hit coming from Erik Haula.