Golden Knights Land Marner in Blockbuster Trade
Toronto Acquires Roy as Marner Inks Eight-Year Deal
In a stunning move, the Vegas Golden Knights have secured Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs via a sign-and-trade agreement. Marner, one of the NHL’s premier players, has agreed to a maximum eight-year contract worth $96 million.
Key Acquisition Details
The Maple Leafs received forward Nicolas Roy in exchange for Marner. The deal sees Marner with an average annual value of $12 million. At 28 years old, Marner was a highly sought-after free agent, with several teams vying for his signature. Last season, he was fifth in the NHL with 102 points.
Drafted by Toronto as the No. 4 pick in 2015, Marner‘s departure marks a significant shift for the Maple Leafs.
Toronto knew Marner intended to explore free agency, leading them to collaborate with Vegas, Marner‘s preferred destination, on a trade. Toronto retained Marner‘s rights until just before Tuesday midnight.
Had Marner reached unrestricted free agency, the maximum contract length would have been seven years instead of eight.
Marner completed a six-year deal paying him $10.9 million annually. Having represented Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face Off, Marner, likely to play in the Olympics, has amassed 221 goals and 741 points across nine NHL seasons.
Leafs’ Offseason Moves
Toronto’s general manager, Brad Treliving, has been active, re-signing John Tavares and Matthew Knies, and trading for Utah forward Matias Maccelli.
Roy, 28, is a center entering Year 4 of a five-year deal worth $3 million annually.
Golden Knights’ Strategy
To accommodate Marner‘s contract, Vegas freed up cap space by trading defenseman Nicolas Hague to the Nashville Predators.
Marner now becomes the highest-paid player on the Golden Knights; however, center Jack Eichel ($10 million AAV) can sign an extension this summer. According to CapFriendly, the Golden Knights have approximately $4.4 million in projected cap space for the 2024-25 season (CapFriendly).
Further cap flexibility may arise if defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is placed on long-term injured reserve.
Sign-and-trades are increasingly common in the NHL when teams anticipate losing a player to free agency. The Carolina Hurricanes, for instance, traded Jake Guentzel‘s rights to the Tampa Bay Lightning before he signed a seven-year deal last season.
