When the Vegas Golden Knights pulled off a sign-and-trade deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs for Mitch Marner, the expectation was that Vegas was paying Marner to deliver a Stanley Cup.
To be fair, the Golden Knights and Marner got close. But when the chips were down, Marner folded.
Yes, the casino pun really seems apropos in this situation. Vegas paid Marner whatever he wanted, not because they liked him that much, but because the organization believed that he was one of the final pieces they needed to bring home another championship.
Therein lies the issue. The Golden Knights are paying the former fourth-overall pick to win championships. The organization committed $96 million over eight seasons to get Marner to show up when it mattered most.
Yet, when his team needed him the most, Marner pulled off his characteristic disappearing act. Well, magic shows are common in Vegas, right?
Vegas is a ruthless, cutthroat organization. This is the team that dumped Bruce Cassidy with two weeks to go in the season, and the has blackballed him from getting another job.
That’s why the clock is ticking for Marner in Vegas. While he won’t be on the trade block this summer, one has to wonder just how patient the organization will be. It’s paying a massive cap hit, one that could prevent it from re-signing other pieces like Rasmus Andersson or potentially losing Pavel Dorofeyev.
Would Vegas Explore Trading Marner?
While Marner’s days are numbered, a trade won’t be coming down the pipeline any time soon. That said, the organization will want to think that the team has another Stanley Cup run in them. After all, they have a core centered around Jack Eichel, Shea Theodore, and Mark Stone.
The complementary pieces that stepped up helped Vegas get past the likes of Colorado en route to the Stanley Cup Final appearance. But with Marner failing to become the playoff hero the team expected, the organization might not be so reluctant to move him, should there be an offer on the table.
The organization hopes that Marner can live up to expectations next season. But if the Golden Knights can’t break through with the former Leaf on the team, things could change rapidly in the 2027 offseason.
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Golden Knights Bought into the Chatter
The entire narrative surrounding Marner’s departure was that Toronto was the problem. The team was not conducive to winning, while the fans drove him out of town.
For two rounds, Marner seemed to have justified that chatter. He torched two clubs in the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks, teams that wouldn’t have made the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
Heck, the Golden Knights wouldn’t have made the playoffs in the East. Yet, they won the anemic Pacific Division.
But against Colorado, he registered three assists in the four-game sweep. There were no hat tricks, no heroics. Just one great assist, and that was about it.
When Marner tagged Carolina for three tallies in Game 3, the Conn Smythe Trophy talk was in full swing.
The rest of the way derailed any talk of playoff MVP. It’s too bad because this might have been Marner’s only real chance at a Cup. The Golden Knights are due for more backwardation next season.
In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them miss the playoffs next season, considering the potential offseason losses they risk.
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