2025 Maple Leafs

Anaheim wouldn't trade McTavish or Zegras straight up for one season of Mitch Marner.

It always amazes me how many people simply don't understand the value of time in judging a player's value. Take two players of comparable performance like Zegras and Cole Caufield whose stats are virtually identical over their careers (211/55-99=154, -40 vs. 205/81-68=149, -39). Now suppose one has seven years left on his contract and the other, only one. It doesn't matter whether you're an Anaheim homer, a Montreal homer, or neither -- if you have any pretensions at all to being honest, you will value the player with term as more valuable than the player without. But here's the truth that many people just seem unable to get: even as you increase the gap between Player A and Player B on the ice (in Player A's favor), if the gap in their term (in Player B's favor) is wide enough, you might still prefer to have Player B on your team rather than Player A.

Neither I nor a single one of my Anaheim colleagues is going to argue that Zegras is a "better" player than Marner. But the Ducks finished TWENTY GAMES out of the playoffs this season, and Marner isn't going to get us there even if he scores 100 points again. So please, Toronto fans, stop with the Marner-to-Anaheim trades, because what we're going to give you for him isn't going to make you happy. And adding the entirely unfounded "But he'll come with an extension" is just rank speculation. We'll believe it when we see it, and it'll be after the fact, not before.

I don't imagine there's any chance a non-Leafs team (and half the UFAs) would consider this.

Hats off sir

I hadn't noticed the UFA collection, but you're absolutely right -- I'd be willing to give 2-to-1 odds against any single one of Guentzel, Monahan, Amadio, DeMelo or Roy accepting those offers.

Why would Montreal do this? There are reports that we already turned down better offers for Xhekaj and they were from non rival teams, do you seriously think we would accept this from the Leafs or Bruins?! Would you accept it from the Habs if the roles were reversed?