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Trade Chatter With Patrik Laine and Mitch Marner But Should the Blackhawks Bite?

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With the cap going up and the second overall pick looking more likely for some analysts, how about some trade rumors to examine for the Chicago Blackhawks? Take a spin: Mitch Marner, Patrick Laine, or Martin Necas?



We’ll start with Laine.

Should the Blackhawks be interested? I looked at this back in November and while it was early then, Laine’s season was derailed by injury before he entered the league’s player assistance program. He’s now seeking a trade with two years remaining on his $8.7M AAV deal.

With a ten team no-trade list, the Blackhawks certainly have the cap space to facilitate a deal while the term would only involve two additional seasons. He’s been a 20-goal scorer six times in his career and would certainly be an asset on a line with either Frank Nazar or Connor Bedard.

Furthermore, it’s unlikely the Blackhawks would have to give up too much as Laine has made his request known, losing a bit of a leverage. Per TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, it’s a mutual move for both Columbus and Laine and now it becomes interesting to see where it could lead.

No doubt, the talent is there. But the final cost, which would need to be reasonable with the money and trade request, remains to be seen.

What About Mitch Marner?

Ah, Mitch Marner. He’s the proverbial guy many Maple Leafs fans blame for their team’s woes, and then will turn around and play the we-need-a-haul-for-him card. Here’s the problem: maybe it’s how the Maple Leafs are built and not really a Marner problem at all.

To wit:

Korchinski is a non starter here especially since he just finished his first pro season and is far too young to be given up on by the Blackhawks. Forget the “to get something you have to give something up” cliche. As to where the Blackhawks are in their timeline, this wouldn’t exactly be the route they’re likely to go. The draft picks? Fine. Taylor Hall? That’s a conversation starter. But indeed there would have to be more included. Even some of the other deals offered don’t necessarily work out either. The ask, understandably, is tall for Mitch Marner–which really questions if indeed Maple Leafs fans would want to see him gone in the first place.

Kyle Davidson has commented several times that rumors are simply just that–rumors. LeBrun commented in the same report that every team in the NHL has checked in on Martin Necas as well. So all of this taken into account, there’s an awful lot floating around in the league.

Likely, nothing comes to fruition until the season closes and a domino here or there falls. The Blackhawks are likely nosing around with the interesting names available. Now we’ll see if they bite on any of them.

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