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The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to advance through a trying yet potentially necessary offseason. They must quickly discover what their identity is without star right winger Mitch Marner, who signed an eight-year, $96 million contract with the Vegas Golden Knights after playing the first nine years of his NHL career with his hometown team.
While fans wait to see the organization's fully formed vision, general manager Brad Treliving weighs his options.
An adjustment period is obviously expected after Marner's exit, but fans will not tolerate a rebuild. This transitional phase is supposed to lead to a long-awaited postseason breakthrough.
However, the front office may want to obtain some additional salary cap flexibility that it can use to build the best roster possible. Many fans will argue that the Marner era plateaued and change was needed, but Toronto must still maintain competency on offense.
A sacrifice may have to be made to ensure that happens. A Stanley Cup Champion and current NHL insider believes that either Morgan Rielly or Brandon Carlo could be traded. The Maple Leafs could confront roadblocks in any potential negotiations, however.
“If the Leafs move a [defenseman], it'll likely only be one of them,” Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos writes. “But while Rielly comes with the complication of a no-movement clause, Brandon Carlo has just an eight-team no-trade list and so is also worth putting on the trade board.”
What is the Maple Leafs' ideal move?
Rielly has played almost 1,000 games with the Maple Leafs when including the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He tallied 34 assists, seven goals and 131 blocks last season.
The grind is taking a toll on the 2012 top-five draft pick, but saying goodbye would not be easy. However, unloading the $7.5 million average annual value he is carrying for five more seasons definitely has its benefits. Would a team pay such a contract? And would Rielly allow a deal to happen?
Treliving will have to sort all that out if trade talks heat up. Carlo is far more affordable — $4.1 million AAV through 2026-27 campaign — and has had only a half-season to make a name for himself in Toronto.
He posted three points and 38 blocks in 20 games after arriving via a trade with the Boston Bruins in March and did not leave much of a mark in the playoffs. Management has to decide if the 28-year-old can become a key part of the new-look Leafs or if he can be used to help facilitate their emergence.
As the offseason rolls on, only one thing seems clear: Toronto still has much work to do before play begins in October.
