Why Nashville Predators Will Stay Away From Rumored Marner Trade With Maple Leafs

After a poor playoff showing for Mitch Marner on the Toronto Maple Leafs this season, rumors and discussions have continued to pick up surrounding the star being moved before the final year of his contract.

This is not as easy as it sounds as Marner has a full no-move clause. The incentive is definitely there for the Maple Leafs to move on from him and there are upsides to Marner waiving that clause for certain teams.

The Nashville Predators are one of the top teams being thrown around in rumors because of the lack of star-power up front and all of the money the team has. The Predators are in the right spot to acquire someone of Marner's skill, but just not Marner.

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The obvious need is an elite centerman. Of course the team has Ryan O'Reilly, but he isn't signed for long and is on the back-half of his career. If he was the Predators' second line center, they would be in a great spot.

That being said, it makes sense for Marner to want out of Toronto as the media is a circus and ruthless while the team has won just one playoff series in eight years.

What Pieces Are Being Discussed in Trade Rumors

While the Maple Leafs know they won't get full value for Marner (based off regular season performances), Juuse Saros seems to be the main piece that so many think makes sense going back. It very much does make sense for the Maple Leafs, but not for the Predators.

Saros is a solidified number one goalie in the NHL and finished top-6 in Vezina Trophy voting for all three seasons as a starter prior to 2023-24. The Predators wouldn't have gotten to where they did this season if it wasn't for him starting 70 games this season (64 regular season, 6 playoffs). Losing him is irreplaceable at this time.

Sure, Yaroslav Askarov's projection is that he will be a number one goalie, but that takes time. He's started a grand total of three NHL games in his career and two came this season. The AHL is one thing and he has played very well, but it takes multiple years of development in the NHL the majority of the time before a young goalie can reach their potential.

This would force the Predators to go and find a goalie in the midst of a weak free agent year for goalies in order to even somewhat replace what they lose in net with Saros gone. The team would add scoring to help get them to the postseason, but then Marner's play becomes questionable.

Both Marner and Saros have one year left on their deals. It's more likely Saros will re-sign with Nashville than Marner with Toronto.

The problem that would face the Predators if a trade like this was even considered is that Marner is going to be asking for a lot. That doesn't mean he is going to get it from Nashville and it would likely end with him walking in free agency. Marner currently has a cap hit of $10.903 million AAV and with the contract William Nylander just got from the Maple Leafs, Marner is possibly looking to at least match that for seven to eight years.

The highest paid player on the Predators is captain Roman Josi at just over $9 million AAV. With the type of culture in Nashville, I don't see someone who's not a proven winner when it matters coming in and getting a larger contract than the captain and best player currently on the team.

The free agent market is actually very solid this season when it comes to impactful forwards. The Predators could find what they're looking for there. Nashville is a desirable spot to play, especially considering the team is on the rise and there is both a great head coach and general manager. Without having to give up the team's franchise goalie and more for a player who will either walk after the season or end up being overpaid, all signs point to the Predators staying away from Marner and continuing their upward trajectory.

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