Rumor: Leafs and Blackhawks linked in trade talks

We're in the dog days of the NHL offseason, where speculation runs rampant.

The man who is the source of the most and the biggest rumors this offseason, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner, is in full control of his future thanks to his no-trade clause but that hasn't prevented insiders from speculating on his next move. One thing is clear to me: Marner doesn't want to leave Toronto. It'll take something special for the Leafs to ship out Marner, but Chicago Blackhawks insider Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reports that there could be a potential blockbuster between the Leafs and Blackahwks.

In his latest 'mailbag' column for The Athletic, Lazerus name drops both Marner and Leafs captain John Tavares as players that the Blackhawks could approach next offseason, after the players' current contracts expire.

With Mitch Marner, Brock Boeser, Nikolaj Ehlers, John Tavares, Shea Theodore and Aaron Ekblad among the players slated for unrestricted free agency next summer, just as players such as Oliver Moore and Levshunov are ready to break into the NHL for good, things could get interesting very quickly.

- Mark Lazerus

While it's fun to speculate on which star players the Blackhawks could entice in a calendar year, there's a long, long, loooooong wait to go before those players hit the open market. The team cannot pin its hopes on acquiring a star player via free agency, unless of course Marian Hossa has found a time machine and is once again interested in signing with the team. I kid, of course, but building your team through free agency has proven to be a poor way to build your roster in this day and age. 

All of this is to say... I don't see Marner, or Tavares for that matter, on the Blackhawks anytime soon, despite the chatter from Lazerus and Blackhawks' fans.