The recent trade between the Nashville Predators and the Tampa Bay Lightning, which saw Ryan McDonagh sent back to Tampa Bay, has generated significant buzz in Maple Leafs Land. With McDonagh’s departure freeing up $6.75 million in cap space for the Predators, speculation has emerged regarding potential trade discussions between Nashville and the Toronto Maple Leafs involving goaltender Juuse Saros and forward Mitch Marner.
Related: Maple Leafs & Predators Swapping Marner for Saros Is Perfect Trade
By shedding McDonagh’s contract, Nashville has significantly increased its salary cap flexibility. This newfound cap space could be leveraged to address areas of need within the team or to facilitate a blockbuster trade with the Maple Leafs this offseason. If this trade does happen, it would likely be the biggest trade of the summer and potentially even the biggest Maple Leafs’ trade since the Wendel Clark for Mats Sundin deal in 1994, which is before Marner was even born.
What Could a Saros for Marner Trade Mean?
Let’s turn our attention to the Maple Leafs, who have been the subject of trade rumours since they were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Marner has been the focal point since the first-round exit due to his lack of production when the team needed it most. Marner, a highly skilled player with a cap hit of $10.9 million, has now seemed to replace William Nylander as the player Leafs Nation wants to move on from and allocate his cap hit elsewhere.
Saros is the talented goaltender the Maple Leafs need and has emerged as a potential trade target for teams seeking goaltending help. With the Maple Leafs in need of stability in the crease, Saros could be an attractive option to bolster their goaltending depth and provide a long-term solution in the net.
The trade scenario involving Saros and Marner was initially written by me back on May 8 and has since picked up tons of steam. The trade presents an intriguing proposition for both teams. For the Predators, acquiring a dynamic forward like Marner would inject additional offensive firepower into their lineup, addressing a need for scoring punch. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs would gain a proven goaltender in Saros, offering stability and reliability in goal, the lack of which has hurt the team in recent years.
Since the Auston Matthews era started, the Maple Leafs have used Frederik Andersen, Jack Campbell, and now Ilya Samsonov. There have also been a plethora of backup goalies or tandem goalies that have played for the organization, including Joseph Woll, who is currently with the team. The Maple Leafs do, however, need stability, and the combination of Saros and Woll could provide that. As for the Predators, they lack a true superstar in their lineup. Yes, they would benefit from a center, but with Ryan O’Reilly, Fillip Forsberg, and then Marner on the line, it would make their team more offensively dynamic.
Nevertheless, any potential trade involving Saros and Marner would be dependent on various factors, including the salary cap and how the overall trade proposal would look. It is worth noting that the Predators are set to pay Matt Duchene’s buyout penalty starting next season. The buyout penalty is worth $5.5 million and then increases in the subsequent seasons.
However, this could just be the start of Nashville selling some players off with larger cap hits to help clear cap space for a large contract to fill the void. Keep in mind, though, that Marner is owed a large signing bonus as of July 1, 2024, which could mean that the two teams wait until the start of free agency to make this move. There is also a possibility this trade will be completed at the 2024 NHL Draft on June 28–29, 2024. The Predators trading McDonagh is likely a prelude to what their general manager, Barry Trotz, has up his sleeve.
