Maple Leafs Have a Plan Ready if Mitch Marner Departs, per Insider

There was a lot of speculation this summer around Mitch Marner and his future status with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Often the subject of trade rumors all throughout the summer, Marner was also criticized by fans for his apparent lack of preparation for the season and being more preoccupied with his offseason ventures. With his contract expiring at the end of the season and Marner no doubt commanding a boatload of money come July 1, Toronto may need to part ways with their former 4th overall pick.

But if Toronto does end up moving on from Marner, they may already have a plan in place according to NHL Insider Nick Kypreos. In his article 'The Mitch Marner conundrum: A Maple Leafs star, a frustrated fan base and an uncertain future' Kypreos talked about the Maple Leafs having a backup in case Marner skips town this summer:

Toronto could take the $11-12M that Marner is going to ask for in free agency and use it to either spread it out between a few important pieces or they could go all-in and sign Colorado phenom Mikko Rantanen to replace him. Rantanen would be a statistical improvement over Marner, and has shown incredible skill in his 10-year career. Fitting the Maple Leafs MO of bigger bodies, Rantanen is a 6'4, 215-pound lightning bolt who is equally dangerous shooting as he is dishing the puck. Registering 624 points in 574 games, Rantanen along with Nathan MacKinnon haven formed one of the best 1-2 punches in the entire league.

Toronto also could look for a homecoming with Sam Bennett, another Florida Panther who could make his way to Toronto and would provide the Maple Leafs with a deadly trio of centers for the next few years in Auston Matthews, Bennett, and Max Domi. Bennett hasn't been as offensively dominant as Rantanen or Marner, but would give Toronto a defensively sound, faceoff dominant center who is more than capable of putting the puck in the net. He's averaged over 21 goals the last three seasons, and would give Toronto the gritty, skilled third center they've desperately needed and only had for one year in Ryan O'Reilly.

Marchand would be a hard sell for Leafs fans given his track record of being a pest towards Toronto and it would be difficult to see Marchand in blue and white getting any reaction other than negative. While Marchand does play a role still and would be a solid addition for the team, he's the oldest of them all at 36-years-old and giving him a contract over two years could be a death sentence in the future. Offensively gifted, Marchand has 932 points in his 16-year NHL career, including a stretch from 2015-16 to 2018-19 where he averaged 36.5 goals and nearly 83 assists. Also known for his on-ice antics, Marchand has been called out for his style of play and known for embellishing things in order to gain the referee's favor.

It's hard to say. Of course the team wants to keep the Core Four around as long as possible, although they need to worry about John Tavares as well. If Toronto wants to keep Tavares around (though he hasn't played up to the level expected) they would need to think long and hard about whether or not Marner staying is a good investment long-term.

It's been a wild ride for Mitch Marner since being drafted to the Maple Leafs, and if his time with the club is over then fans better hope they have something in their back pocket to replace the long-time forward.