Former teammate trade to get his GM to trade for Mitch Marner

A report from an insider states a former member of the Toronto Maple Leafs tried hard to get his current team to land star forward Mitch Marner in a trade. That was before the team went out and dropped million of dollars on some high profile free agents.

In his most recent column in the Toronto Star, Nick Kypreos shared that former Maple Leaf Ryan O'Reilly encouraged Nashville Predators GM Barry Trotz to swing a trade for Marner. However, Trotz instead decided to spend big in free agency.

Mitch Marner has been at the center of trade rumors since the Toronto Maple Leafs' early exit from the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the hands of the Boston Bruins. His performance in the series was widely criticized by fans and analysts, who perceived his play as lacking effort and inspiration.

Meanwhile, Ryan O'Reilly's brief stint with the Maple Leafs ended when he signed with the Nashville Predators in free agency. As the Predators are currently over the salary cap, acquiring Marner would require sending salary back to Toronto. Marner has one year remaining on his contract, which carries a cap hit of $10.9 million, making a trade more complicated.