Brad Treliving Could Replace Mitch Marner With Rangers Superstar, per David Pagnotta
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Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving could end up finding a replacement for Mitch Marner, trading for a New York Rangers star according to NHL Insider David Pagnotta.
While Toronto moves on from Mitch Marner barring a divine intervention, they will need to shift gears and see who they can bring in to replace him, or at least replace his level of production.
Chris Kreider May Be A Viable Option To Help Top-Six: David Pagnotta
They are going to have a good variety of options this upcoming free agency, but according to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta, they should look to acquire New York's Chris Kreider via the trade market:
You know, this is a team [Rangers], as you mentioned not a lot of cap space, they want to get creative this summer. They wanna rejig the roster a little bit.
Kreider was someone they explored moving earlier in the season, we all know he and Jacob Trouba were on the list that GM Chris Drury put out there to the rest of the teams saying "We'll listen on these guys."
I expect the Rangers to listen again and take calls for Chris Kreider. For a team looking to pluck someone away because of New York's cap situation, and going full circle we'll go back to Toronto who wants to add some jam in their top-six.
If a team like the Leafs or another team feels that Chris Kreider is someone who can get back to 30-goal form, if he can get back to that at a $6.5M clip for the next two seasons, that's not a bad risk to take.
I can see the Leafs exploring that possibility and certainly think the Rangers are open to that.
Kreider was someone they explored moving earlier in the season, we all know he and Jacob Trouba were on the list that GM Chris Drury put out there to the rest of the teams saying "We'll listen on these guys."
I expect the Rangers to listen again and take calls for Chris Kreider. For a team looking to pluck someone away because of New York's cap situation, and going full circle we'll go back to Toronto who wants to add some jam in their top-six.
If a team like the Leafs or another team feels that Chris Kreider is someone who can get back to 30-goal form, if he can get back to that at a $6.5M clip for the next two seasons, that's not a bad risk to take.
I can see the Leafs exploring that possibility and certainly think the Rangers are open to that.
With Pagnotta believing the Maple Leafs are a viable candidate for acquiring Kreider, how can he help the team?
Why Chris Kreider Makes Sense For Toronto
I mean, first and foremost they need to replace Mitch Marner's offense to some capacity and Kreider would certainly help.
He had a rough shake this season, and mentioned after the season he dealt with a myriad of ailments that held him back, though he still hit 22 goals.
But he's a former 50-goal scorer, has averaged 33.8 goals over the last five seasons, and has 116 power play goals for his career; something Toronto is going to need to work on now that Marner's gone.
From an on-ice standpoint, he could easily slide onto Auston Matthews' wing with Matthew Knies and create a gigantic line (literally) that uses their size to help offensively.
Or, we could see him slot down to the second line, and if Craig Berube wants to keep John Tavares and William Nylander together, he could fill in there and use Tavares' creativity to spark his offense once again.
He's big, he's a proven goal scorer, a solid playoff performer (76 points in 123 games) and he's on a fairly team friendly contract over the next two seasons.
Toronto has more cap to work with too, and while they need to sign a few players still, Kreider can easily fit in with some tinkering, and buyouts like Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf are very possible.
Why Chris Kreider Doesn't Make Sense For Toronto
But he is 34, and adding another aging player to a team already pretty old all things considered is a bold strategy. He's not going to get any favors playing in Toronto if he struggles, and he does hold a 15-team no trade clause.
The Maple Leafs very well could be one of those teams, and while it wouldn't be too surprising given the circumstances, there's no doubt he would be more an asset than a liability.
Plus, there's the 2026 free agents that include Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, Jack Eichel and Cale Makar; do they want to commit to an aging Kreider and miss out on a potential franchise changing player?
As much as the team has the cap space, they really shouldn't rush to add so quickly. They can add slowly and take on some cheaper deals to get through the first season without Marner, then focus heavy on 2026.
Kreider would offer a lot of good to the Maple Leafs, but it comes with a lot of risks; especially regarding injuries and age.
So it's up to Brad Treliving and if he feels like gambling with his team's future for short-term gratification.
| POLL | ||
MAI 25 | 544 ANSWERS Brad Treliving Could Replace Mitch Marner With Rangers Superstar, per David Pagnotta Should Toronto try to acquire Chris Kreider? | ||
| Yes | 252 | 46.3 % |
| No | 292 | 53.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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