Why Penguins Might Avoid Maple Leafs Superstar

PITTSBURGH – After another disappointing season for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs, changes are needed within each organization. The Penguins missed the playoffs for the second straight season, while the Maple Leafs suffered their seventh heartbreaking first-round exit in eight years.

Last summer, Kyle Dubas was fired as general manager of the Maple Leafs before joining the Penguins as president of hockey operations. In his year with the Penguins, Dubas has brought multiple former Maple Leafs players and staffers, and maybe that trend continues.

Since their Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins, speculation has not slowed down that superstar forward Mitch Marner, is sure to be traded out of Toronto this offseason. While that may be an excellent target for the Penguins to look into, Dubas might be hesitant to take that kind of swing.

Shortly before being fired by the Maple Leafs, Dubas stated his desire to make significant changes to the team. Among those changes was likely moving on from a member of their superstar core, and it’s possible that was Marner. Dubas likely wanted to find a move for Marner before his full no-move clause kicked in.

“Perhaps the path needs to shift slightly,” Dubas said last May. “It needs to be adapted slightly.”

While Marner is undoubtedly one of the most skilled players in the NHL, everything changes when the playoffs start. In 57 career playoff games, Marner has only scored 11 goals. Between the 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Marner failed to record a single tally.

If the Penguins return to the postseason, they’ll need their big pieces to perform in the playoffs to go on a Stanley Cup run. They can’t afford a player who earns over $10 million to no-show when the games mean the most.

Dubas expressed concern about the lack of scoring within the Maple Leafs shortly before being let go.

“We have to find a way to convert on those chances and we have to find a way to build in different offensive principles that can allow us to produce more at those key moments.”

Another obstacle to consider when discussing Marner’s future is the fact he is entering the final year of his contract. Any team looking to acquire him this summer must consider a possible extension, and the price will not be low. Can the Penguins afford that?

The Penguins probably can afford the right trade proposal, but does Dubas want to deal with another contract negotiation surrounding Marner? In 2019, Marner’s camp and the Maple Leafs had some ugly negotiations regarding the superstar’s first big contract.

Threats of a holdout were made, but just before the start of the season, the two sides agreed to a six-year deal worth $10.9 million annually.

Marner can easily get an eight-year deal likely worth north of $11 million from multiple teams across the NHL. It will be up to Dubas and his team to decide if that’s something he thinks is suitable for the Penguins, especially in the long run, with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang all nearing the end of their playing days.

Multiple teams have reportedly already reached out to the Maple Leafs about Marner. It wouldn’t be shocking to hear the Penguins were one of the teams, but this is the kind of player that should see interest from each team across the league.

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