Crazy Mitch Marner to Winnipeg rumor today

The entire offseason has been filled with rumblings of a potential Mitch Marner trade, but to date there's really been no public acknowledgement of trade negotiations from Marner or the Toronto Maple Leafs.

What we do have though are rumors... plenty and plenty of rumors.

The latest rumor has Marner heading to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a package of return.

Antonio Losada of Heavy.com reports that there could be a fit between the two Canadian teams with Marner heading to the Jets in exchange for star forward Nikolaj Ehlers, top prospect Rutger McGoaty and a 1st round pick.

From Losada's most recent column:

This simple, two-team trade would see Toronto land two of the most coveted players available for trade deep into the offseason as well as a 1st-round draft pick in the upcoming NHL draft.

The Maple Leafs would “only” send Marner, 29, to Winnipeg in exchange for that two-player, high-value pick haul.

Ehlers, 28, is entering the final season of a seven-year, $42 million contract. He scored 61 points in 82 regular-season games during the 2023-24 campaign. Conversely, McGroarty has not signed his NHL entry-level deal yet.

- Antonio Losada

The only way I could see this playing out is if Ehlers agreed to sign a contract extension with the Leafs as a part of the trade. He's scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason, so trading for him could be a huge risk for the Leafs. Frankly too, this trade doesn't really address the Leafs' needs on the back end or in goal. If they're going to ship out a superstar forward like Marner they should be looking to shore up their defensive end with the assets they receive in return.

And then there's the entire matter of Marner's no-trade clause. Would he really be willing to waive his no-trade clause for a trade to Winnipeg? Color my skeptical. No offense to the city of Winnipeg and to fans of the Jets, but it's not the sexiest destination in the NHL. Personally, I don't see Marner going from the pressure packed market of Toronto to another pressure packed market in Winnipeg.