Rumors swirled Saturday that the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Golden Knights were in discussions about a sign-and-trade that would send Mitch Marner to Vegas.
Nothing appeared close, and if the two sides can’t come to terms on an agreement, Marner will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and will be free to sign with any NHL team.
But if he signs with the Golden Knights, as opposed to getting traded, Toronto plans to take action.
“There’s been some talk that if Marner goes to Vegas, the Maple Leafs will go after Vegas for tampering,” SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman revealed on “32 Thoughts.”
Friedman stressed that he doesn’t have any proof of Vegas discussing a potential contract with Marner
“But it’s a time around the league where teams are extremely sensitive about it,” the NHL insider said. ‘And, as a couple of GMs told me on Saturday, they think the NHL is itching to try and make an example out of someone.”
Marner has spent his entire nine-year career with the Maple Leafs. In May, The Athletic reported Toronto tried to sign Marner to a long-term deal that likely would have made the forward a Maple Leaf for life, but Marner declined.
Teams are not allowed to talk to players under contract with other teams until free agency opens. If Vegas were to sign Marner rather quickly on Tuesday, it would look suspicious. But Friedman added one more wrinkle to the saga.
“If they make a deal with Toronto and send a good player or two to Toronto, I’m betting any chance the Maple Leafs file for tampering goes away,” he said.
It’s unclear if the Golden Knights and the Maple Leafs have made any progress in their talks from Saturday.
Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving told reporters on Saturday that his preference would be to get something for Marner rather than nothing, but didn’t comment on the trade rumors, per The Hockey News’ David Alter.
Marner posted a career-high 102 points during the 2024-25 season and added 13 more in as many playoff games. While he was a point-per-game player in the playoffs, he only scored one goal during that stretch.
