Joined: Dec. 2022
Posts: 2,920
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The odds of a team trading for a large contract at the draft or prior to most of the large UFAs signing is very slim.
Why? Well as nice as it is to map out all of these extra signings you can do with the cap space, other teams are exploring those options and going hey we can probably address our needs with our cap space instead of having to trade a core piece and future assets to bring a guy in.
I’ll give you that Marner is likely a bit of an exception given the caliber of player he is. But with that, teams likely are wary of what that players production would be A. In a different system and B. Without the caliber of forward talent the player is currently surrounded by.
This doesn’t factor in either that Marner pretty much holds all of the chips in his hand with the NMC, and with it taking him right to UFA, he can pretty much decide where he’d go.
The one benefit for you in this hypothetical is there is a hypothetical where Saros is expendable. I’m not sure if Marner would re-sign in Nashville though with them banking on rookie goaltending with a lesser roster than the team he came from doing the same with a better roster.