When Pat Burns was interviewed about a mega-swap at the 1994 NHL Draft, he didn’t have the body language of a coach whose team had just acquired a six-foot-five, right-shot centre who was the first-overall pick five years earlier and a Hall-of-Famer 18 years later.
Rather, he had the disposition of a man trying to tell his young kids everything was going to be okay despite the fact Santa Claus was cancelling Christmas.
“Mats Sundin is a good skilled player now, don’t forget that,” Burns said, seemingly trying to sell himself as much as the audience on the idea of trading Wendel Clark.
What can we say: These things are never easy.
Certainly there are difficult questions being asked in the aftermath of the Toronto Maple Leafs' latest disappointment, with GM-for-now Kyle Dubas saying nothing will be off the table this summer if he is, indeed, the one calling the shots.
That includes the notion of coring the four forwards in the middle of the team, holding them up to the light and asking if each one can remain a part of this perpetually disappointing club.
The reality — as colleague Luke Fox explained — is that if one of John Tavares, Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner or William Nylander are to be traded it would almost certainly be one of the latter two. Marner has a full no-move clause that kicks in July 1; Nylander will submit a 10-team no-trade list on the same day. Marner is under contract for two more years at $10.9 million per season, while Nylander has just a single year left on the deal that started with him holding out in 2018 and concludes with him providing incredible bang-for-buck at a cap hit of $6.96 million.
If — and it remains a Leafs fanbase-sized if — Toronto decides to go down this path, it will be a headline in the same font that "Leafs trade Clark" was nearly 30 years ago. Deals like this are difficult for a multitude of reasons, but we did our best to line up a couple of dance partners and sketch out what something like this could look like.
So here goes…
Vancouver Canucks get: William Nylander, Timothy Liljegren
Toronto Maple Leafs get: J.T. Miller
Chicago Blackhawks get: Matt Murray, 2023 Canucks 4th, 2024 Leafs 4th
Why the Leafs do it: Because last year — especially the beginning of it — was so miserable for both Miller and the Canucks, it’s easy to forget what kind of player he is. A late-bloomer offensively, Miller has 299 points in 283 games with the Canucks since being traded there as a 26-year-old in 2019. He’s gotten outer-rim Selke consideration in past seasons and, with his heavy frame, plays a two-way, grinding style that lends itself well to the playoffs.
Yes, he’s just coming on to a seven-year contract that counts $8 million against the cap annually, but that’s not a massive concern for a squad that’s trying to win the Cup RIGHT NOW. Miller just turned 30, can play both wing and centre and soon enough Nylander will be making more than $8 million annually. Shedding Murray’s salary opens the door to bringing back Ilya Samsonov without too much trouble and you might still save a nickel or two against the cap.
Why the Canucks do it: Just about everything was fraught with trouble early on this season for Vancouver, including the relationship with Miller. The new deal was signed after a summer of trade rumours and it sort of felt like the Canucks wanted a take-back before the ink was dry. Obviously British Columbia’s team has a long history with Swedish players being front and centre with the squad, including current No. 1 centre Elias Pettersson. Nylander is three years younger than Miller and has more pure skill. Vancouver would surely feel good about its chances of extending him, especially because the team could basically promise him No. 2 billing among forwards — and a permanent spot on PP1 — as opposed to always being fourth fiddle in Toronto. Worst case for Vancouver is he walks in the summer of 2024 and you still have the right-shooting D-man Liljegren and a whole lot of cap space.
Why the Blackhawks do it: Even with Connor Bedard coming, this team is still in asset-acquisition mode, so grabbing two picks to pay Murray for a year is appealing.
Los Angeles Kings get: Mitch Marner
Toronto Maple Leafs get: Quinton Byfield, Sean Durzi, Jordan Spence, 2024 top-10 protected 1st
Why the Leafs do it: It’s kind of the new Sundin-for-Clark! Byfield is a six-foot-five centre still on his entry-level deal after being drafted second overall in 2020. The NHL results haven’t come just yet for the GTA guy, but it’s safe to assume better days are ahead — maybe as early as next year. Byfield can apprentice behind No. 1 C Auston Matthews and John Tavares can move permanently to wing.
Durzi is a 24-year-old, right-shot defenceman who was previously part of the Leafs organization until he was sent to L.A. in the 2019 deadline deal that landed Jake Muzzin. He’s just coming into his own and is under team control as an RFA in 2024. Spence is a smart — if not big — two-way defenceman whose done very well in the American Hockey League and is likely ready to step into the big time. Like Durzi, he shoots right.
This swap would save the Leafs an enormous amount of money against the cap, especially before Byfield is due a new contract in 2024-25. They’d also have a second 2024 first-rounder to leverage for more help between now and the trade deadline.
Why the Kings do it: Trading a young centre like Byfield would be tough, but it’s not like Marner is a fossil. L.A. may not have Toronto’s tortured recent playoff history, but the Kings are surely sick of losing in the first round already. It’s time for a big swing. One of L.A.’s best prospects is right-shooting blue-liner Brandt Clarke, so they are dealing from a position of strength when it comes to shipping out Durzi and Spence. Also, Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault are still an effective 1-2 down the middle and should remain that way for a few more seasons yet.
Could you imagine what a jolt Marner would add? It’s not every day you can add a winger who averages well over a point-per-game while getting a Selke nomination to your lineup. Marner is under contract for two more years and it shouldn’t be that hard to sell him on many more in L.A. after playing so many years in the Toronto pressure cooker.
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