With the introduction of free agency on July 1, the NHL changed its landscape; nevertheless, given the rosters of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nashville Predators, the current league picture may have been drastically different.
Former player for the Maple Leafs and current columnist for the Toronto Star Nick Kypreos claims that the Predators were advised against spending millions and millions of dollars on free agents in favor of attempting a trade for Mitch Marner.
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from www.thestar.com
5:04 a.m. July 4, 2024
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“Ex-Leaf Ryan O’Reilly did his very best to convince General Manager Barry Trotz to make a push and trade for Mitch Marner, prior to the Predators spending a whack of dough on free agents [Steven] Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei,” Kypreos reported on July 4.
To put things in perspective, O’Reilly played for the Leafs in the latter half of the 2022–2023 season. As an unrestricted free agent, the defenceman inked a four-year, $18 million contract with the Predators on July 1, 2023.
On February 17, 2023, O’Reilly, a former Stanley Cup winner, was dealt by the St. Louis Blues to the Maple Leafs. Before skating in 11 more games through the 2023 postseason, he had 13 appearances in the regular season.
Predators general manager Barry Trotz chose to sign free agents Stamkos, Marchessault, and Skjei rather than completing a trade for Marner in exchange for an undisclosed package, disregarding O’Reilly’s advice.
Mitch Marner of the Maple Leafs Rules His Own Destiny
Persuading Marner to accept a transfer to Nashville would have been one of the Predators’ toughest tasks if they had decided to seek a trade for him.
That is entirely related to the fact that Marner’s contract contains a complete No-Move Clause, which is in effect from the beginning of the 2023–24 season until the conclusion of his tenure with Toronto.
Although it’s unclear if Marner would have agreed to a trade to Nashville, O’Reilly may have known ahead of time that he would be open to it, which is why he suggested it to Trotz.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported on June 26 that Marner would accept a trade to four teams, just days before the free-agent market started. However, Pagnotta withheld the names of those franchises or claimed not to be aware of them.
