NHL Insider Pierre Lebrun stirred the pot Friday when he suggested the Maple Leafs make a bold move exchanging Mitch Marner for New York Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin.
The speculation ran rampant this summer regarding whether or not the Maple Leafs would trade Mitch Marner but so far, there has been nothing to that. Fans were speculating whether or not to keep the Core Four together or to get rid of Marner in order to bring in the pieces needed to win a Stanley Cup. He garnered a lot of heat this summer for his seemingly nonchalant attitude, but Marner is determined to remain a Maple Leaf and his love for the city and its fans is undeniable. But could he be destined for the bright lights of the Big Apple?
NHL Insider Pierre Lebrun seems to think so. While speaking on TSN’s Overdrive program, Lebrun talked about how Mitch Marner could be used as a bargaining chip for the Maple Leafs to acquire one of the elite goaltenders in the league; Igor Shesterkin. Lebrun posed a question to the panel of Bryan Hayes, Jeff O’Neill and Jamie McLennan about what Toronto should do about the Mitch Marner situation come July 1st:
It’s an interesting take on the situation, and one that both Hayes and O’Neill agreed with. The fact the Maple Leafs have been so unsuccessful in the playoffs despite the amount of talent they have is disappointing to say the least and something may need to drastically change. If Joseph Woll is unable to shoulder to load and Anthony Stolarz can’t steer the ship if it goes off course; who else is there?
The Maple Leafs have Matt Murray, but as reliable as he’s been there is no guarantees in the NHL and Murray is working on borrowed time, regardless of if he feels up to the task. Acquiring someone like Shesterkin, who has emerged as an elite goaltender and been a thorn in Toronto’s side in recent times, holding a 5-2-2 record with a 2.64 GAA and .918 save percentage; he’s also an absurd 33-12-6 with a 2.22 GAA and .928 save percentage against the Atlantic Division for his career, something that Toronto could use to their advantage trying to get out of the first and second rounds.