Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving Appears to Hint at a Potential Trade Scenario Involving Mitch Marner

Brad Treliving openly admitted on Thursday that 28-year-old Mitch Marner is likely going to go to free agency, confirming what many had suspected for quite a while.

After failing to get Marner to waive his no-movement clause at the deadline, many believed that a sign-and-trade before July 1st was also off the table and that the Leafs would be forced to watch their hometown talent walk with no return.

However, when speaking with the media on Thursday, Treliving was asked about a potential deal ahead of July 1st and certainly left the door open to the possibility of the Leafs getting something in return for the former first-round pick.

Marner has seen Leafs Nation turn on him in recent months thanks to his lacklustre playoff performance and reports surfacing that he turned down a lucrative extension in December. Marner also reportedly turned down trade proposals at the deadline to help the Leafs recoup some assets knowing that he was going to be leaving.

However, with the Vegas Golden Knights seemingly the place he wants to go and the team having to clear cap space, the Leafs, Marner and Golden Knights could conceivably still work out some sort of deal around Marner and Nicholas Roy and/or Nicolas Hague or Ivan Barbashev.

If the Leafs can swing something like that, it would be a win for all three parties as Marner would save what is left of his legacy in Toronto, Vegas lands their star winger after a lengthy pursuit and the Leafs would salvage a bit of a return for their pending free agent. Of course, Treliving hasn't tipped his hand, so no one really knows what he's thinking.