Grade the Trade: Mock trade sees the Calgary Flames land Mitch Marner

At this time of year, there’s often very few talking points for teams outside of a playoff spot, and that’s certainly the case for the Calgary Flames. While this summer will be crucial for the future of the organization, nothing much can happen for some time now that the NHL Draft Lottery has come and gone, and unsurprisingly, this has led to some interesting mock trades.

There’s plenty of those on sites such as Cap Friendly, but today, we came across an interesting one on Sportsnet, with a deal that would see Calgary land Toronto’s Mitch Marner after another disappointing Stanley Cup Playoff performance.

Toronto receives: G Jacob Markstrom (25% retained over the final two years of his deal, D Rasmussen Andersson.
Calgary receives: RW Mitch Marner, D Timothy Liljegren, C Fraser Minten, LW Nick Robertson.

On first reaction, many would question why a team like Calgary would be interested in Marner, as it’s yet another $10+ million AAV deal to add to a roster with an already underperforming Jonathan Huberdeau. However, this trade would allow the Flames to land two solid young pieces in Fraser Minten and Nick Robertson, while also giving them the flexibility to move Marner if he performs well during the season.

On the downside would be Calgary moving Rasmus Andersson, who has been stellar for the Flames throughout his career, and while some fans are intent on moving him and looking to the future, it’s likely to happen in a deal on its own that would allow the team to control a return of future pieces.

It’s certainly not going to happen, as the Flames are intent on looking toward the future and building a young core around Dustin Wolf and their picks moving forward, but if a player like this truly is available, it’s something you always need to at least check in on.