Leafs Trade Marner for Nicolas Roy

 

So, it finally happened: we heard from Elliott Friedman during Day Two of the draft that Vegas and Toronto were discussing a possible sign-and-trade. Well, on Monday night, the deal went through as the Leafs signed Mitch Marner to an eight-year contract worth $12 million per season, then sent him to Vegas in exchange for center Nicolas Roy, who carries a cap hit of $3 million for the next two seasons.

In Nic Roy, the Leafs get a big forward standing 6-foot-4 who likes to use his size and throw his weight around. Roy can also chip in offensively — last season, he collected 31 points in 71 games. The Leafs also gain more playoff experience, as Roy has a Stanley Cup ring.

There are going to be fans who aren’t happy with Marner being traded, and that’s understandable, but the change was necessary for both parties. We’ve known for a while now that Mitch doesn’t handle the media pressure well, and there have been several incidents with fans — which is ridiculous on every level. Sadly, Marner’s camp shares some of the blame for fans booing him or wanting him gone, due to his representation constantly putting everything in the media.

Go back to the day Auston Matthews signed his extension when Dubas was GM. The ink wasn’t even dry before Marner’s agent went on the radio and said, “This is a terrible contract.” Then fast forward to when Marner was holding out during contract negotiations — his agent went on the radio again and said, “Oh, Mitch is going to go play for Zurich in Switzerland.” Anyone with a working brain knew Mitch Marner was never going to leave Toronto and go play for Zurich, Auston Matthews’ former team. It’s comments like those that caused fans to begin turning on Mitch because everything became public. The latest story — if true — is that Mitch was upset he wasn’t considered for the captaincy of the Leafs.

Don’t get me wrong: Mitch is an extremely talented player and will have a great career. Fans in Vegas are going to love watching him. So Mitch, thanks for nine seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs — all the best in Vegas.

With the Matthew Knies extension now official — six years at $7.75 million per season — plus Roy’s $3 million cap hit and Steven Lorentz being extended for three years at $1.35 million per season, the Leafs now have around $6 million in cap space. With free agency opening today, it’ll be interesting to see how active Brad Treliving and the Leafs will be.