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With an abundance of cap space available to them in the off-season, two reporters suggested that the Chicago Blackhawks may be eyeing a pair of Maple Leafs.
On Friday, The Colorado Avalanche sent shockwaves through the NHL when they dealt star forward and pending UFA Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes as part of a massive, three-team deal.
The Chicago Blackhawks helped facilitate the massive trade by retaining $4.6M of Rantanen’s $9.25M cap hit while also sending Taylor Hall to the Hurricanes. The Hawks’ role in the trade was met with plenty of criticism given the fact that they only received a third-round pick in the upcoming draft for retention and trading away Hall.
While Hawks fans were baffled by the limited return, The Athletic’s Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus revealed that Kyle Davidson and the Hawks have some big plans for the upcoming off-season.
“Rantanen and Mitch Marner are very much on Davidson’s radar,” wrote Powers and Lazerus. “Chicago has only about $60 million on the books for next season and doesn’t have any internal pay bumps to worry about – just modest second contracts. With most of the replacements for any departing players coming from within, there’ll be plenty of cap space to make a serious run at Rantanen, Marner or anyone else.”
Lazerus and Powers noted that the Leafs do have the obvious advantage of offering Marner eight years, but if he wants to be the ‘top dog’ money-wise, he will have to test the market.
Outside of the unrestricted free agents, given the fact that the Hawks have a plethora of cap space, and possibly more depending on buyouts and moving Seth Jones and his $9.5M cap hit, Lazerus and Powers suggested that the Blackhawks may go the offer-sheet route like the St. Louis Blues did this past off-season, snagging Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway from the Edmonton Oilers.
Wyatt Johnston, Marco Rossi and Matthew Knies were three of the names mentioned the Hawks could target with offer-sheets.
The Leafs and Knies have expressed mutual interest in getting a deal done, but if they reach July 1st without an agreement, the Hawks will not be the only team lining up with an offer-sheet for the Arizona native.
As the trade deadline approaches, how the Leafs navigate the contract discussions with Marner and Knies will surely change how they attack the deadline. Although unlikely, if the Leafs feel as though Marner won’t stick around after the season, there could be an even bigger blockbuster on the way.
