What If...Mitch Marner and Sheldon Keefe Reunite in New Jersey?

The New Jersey Devils hired Sheldon Keefe a few days after he was relieved of his duties with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Although his hiring made headlines for days, all talk surrounding the 43-year-old coach has died down, especially with free agency taking up the spotlight.

However, there's another member of the Maple Leafs organization who couldn't leave the public eye, even if he was on Mars, and that is Mitch Marner.

Thanks to a complete no-movement clause, Marner is within his rights to play out the final year of his contract and deny any trade requests Toronto presents.

Considering he's been eligible to sign a new deal after July 1, Toronto's General Manager (GM) Brad Treliving recently mentioned no update on the ongoing saga.

So, with Auston Matthews locked up and William Nylander extended, the chatter about Toronto is about how to move on captain John Tavares and Marner to free up cap space and challenge for a Stanley Cup.

Interestingly, it's come out recently that Ryan O'Reilly, now of the Nashville Predators, tried to get his new club to trade for Marner before signing Jonathan Marchessault, Steven Stamkos, and Brady Skjei.

Whether they move him or not, the Marner contract drama will continue to haunt the Maple Leads throughout the summer, training camp, regular season, trade deadline, and the following offseason until one or the other happens.

No matter where you look, every team is interested, and at the same time, no one can afford a playmaker whose career points-per-game average is 1.10.

Additionally, no one is discussing the possibility of Marner reuniting with his former head coach, Keefe, who now calls the shots in New Jersey.

Can anyone imagine a Devils lineup with Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Marner?

Move over Metropolitan Division teams; the crown is returning to Newark.

However, the move must make sense before anyone gets caught up in the notion.

The Devils can not afford Marner's future contract and keep the young core together. So the math doesn't add up unless Marner agrees to play on bonus money every year and registers as only a $1-2 million cap hit.

Stranger things have happened in New Jersey; see Ilya Kovalchuk's contract signing on Sep. 3, 2010.

Although Lou Lamoriello is no longer making those decisions, like Kovalchuk, Marner is a can't-miss addition worth every penny of his future contract.

Marner has had his best seasons under Keefe, when he collected 97 and 99 points in 2022 and 2023. Even though his playoff performances tend to draw the ire of many Toronto fans, New Jersey's lights don't shine as brightly on their stars.

Reuniting with Keefe via a trade would gut the Devils' farm system, plus future draft capital and possibly a young star like Dawson Mercer, Luke Hughes, or Simon Nemec as a starting point.

So the question is, how much of the future is worth sacrificing for the present?

Marner is undoubtedly a star in his generation, one of today's most to playmakers.

Reuniting with Keefe in a hockey market that doesn't discuss a player's every move on and off the ice would be refreshing. He could relocate and find his groove in the shadow of the Big Apple.

Considering the Maple Leafs haven't played hockey since the middle of April, no one is talking about the possibility of Marner finding a new home with his old coach, who now works in Newark.

Acquiring the Maple Leafs star would be the defining moment of Fitzgerald's GM career because it could result in a championship or be judged as the worst move of his tenure.

Either way, Marner skating in New Jersey is not on anyone's radar (or bingo card), making it one of the most shocking moves since probably the Kovalchuk signing 14 years ago.