NHL Finally Approves Mitch Marner Trade, Leafs Confirm Return for Star Forward

On Monday, the Maple Leafs finally pulled the trigger on a deal for Mitch Marner, signing him to an 8-year contract worth $12M per season, but it was done with the intention to trade him to the Vegas Golden Knights.

The deal was expected to be much larger than it was in the eyes of the fan base, but when the dust settled on the deal, just as TSN's Bob McKenzie reported on Monday, the deal was a 1-for-1 swap with Nicolas Roy coming back the other way.

Fans were underwhelmed with the return, holding onto hope that since the deal was not made official on Monday, there would be more coming to Toronto when all was said and done. However, the Leafs confirmed the 1-for-1 deal, Marner for Roy, on Tuesday morning, ahead of the free agent frenzy.

The Leafs also issued a short thank you to Marner for his 9 years of service to the organization.

There's a lot to digest here, but perhaps the most immediate feeling is "how did this even happen?". Marner wouldn't even entertain the idea of negotiating an extension with the Maple Leafs, the team he grew up idolizing.

Even though Marner is gone, we should take some solace in knowing that he was at least amenable to the idea of a sign-and-trade to ensure that the Leafs received something for him on the way out the door.

Now, the team will look ahead to 12:00 pm ET on Tuesday when free agency opens up to try to replace some of the lost production from their departing star. With names like Nikolaj Ehlers and Brock Boeser available, there's still hope that the Leafs can make a splash.