Maple Leafs Better Get More Of Mitch Marner Than Seth Jones – Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs
When a talented team exits the Stanley Cup Playoffs early, rumors run wild with trade proposals, some seeming more absurd than usual. Maybe it's out of desperation, or the pursuit of the “perfect deal.” Or maybe hockey fans are just lonely.
Or they throw ideas at the wall, hoping one will stick. That was my first impression when I saw former NHL defenseman Shane O'Brien from the team Miss Curfew The podcast does a mock trade involving the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks, two teams I've written about. Hockey Writers.
The trade would include Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner for Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones, forward Nick Foligno and a first-round pick. On the surface, that looks like the type of deal Toronto should pursue when it comes to trading Marner, whose recent disappointing performance has left many fans wanting to be done with him.
But let's get this out of the way: no, that's not enough to bring back Toronto. Yes, this club should be looking to improve its blue line, and yes, Marner is an odd man out when it comes to moving assets for assets.
But getting a quarterback like Jones is more of a lateral move than a step up. Let me explain why:
Seth Jones is not a defenseman who needs the Maple Leafs
After covering the Blackhawks THW during the 2023-24 regular season, I can tell you that many things can be true: Jones is a good defender, and he's not what Toronto needs.
Let me give Maple Leaf fans reading this column a quick list of Jones facts:
• Jones averaged more than 25 minutes per game last season, four minutes more than the Blackhawks' No. 2 player in Alex Vlasic, and about five or six minutes more than he should have logged.
Related: Blackhawks' Best Pick at No. 2 Pick Not visible
• Below average on the power play, logging more than three minutes of ice time a night with the man advantage, but ultimately scoring a career-high nine power play points in 67 games.
• He's not exactly the best defender, as he just sent Corsi the strongest of his career (46.9 percent), and the worst five seasons of his career were … the last five seasons, failing to hit 50 percent.
• The 2024-25 season will be just the third of Jones' eight-year, $76 million contract that pays him $9.5 million annually. That means he is tied with Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins for the fifth-highest salary for a defenseman.
• Jones will turn 30 next October, and while that usually wouldn't be a factor when it comes to trades, 30-year-old Jones is a unique situation. After being drafted No. 4 by the Nashville Predators in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, he made the team as an 18-year-old and has played nearly 11 full seasons since then, never missing more than 15 games in a season (which he did this season).
• That means before turning 30, he has played in 797 regular season games, including 37 playoff contests. That's a lot of miles (or kilometers to my fellow Canadians) for a defenseman who averaged less than 20 minutes per game twice in a season, and that was when he was 18 and 19 years old, respectively.
Seth Jones' Trajectory Is Like Another Maple Leaf
At the start of the 2023-24 season, Jones was getting a lot of criticism from fans and insiders alike, mostly because of his lack of offense and, well, he was often on the ice when the Blackhawks were going to score. It reminded me of another number 1 defenseman who played for the Maple Leafs years ago.
Dion Phaneuf, acquired by Toronto in January 2010 and with the team until midway through the 2015-16 season, was asked to play a role he didn't fit in from the start. Starting his career with the Calgary Flames, Phaneuf played on the second team with a lot of power play minutes – not surprisingly that's why he was successful.
In Toronto, he was asked to play about 25 minutes a night, every night, playing the power play, killing penalties, and all kinds of situations, including the kitchen sink. It got worse, and his game would deteriorate as time went on.
Related: Is Brad Treliving The Right Person To Lead The Maple Leafs?
That's what I fear will happen to Jones. There were already signs this past season that he had regressed, and the aging of being a top NHL defenseman is starting to show. I can't even make a case that he's a better defender than Morgan Rielly, who the Maple Leafs are questioning a lot.
If you want a No. 1 defender. 1, or at least someone who can provide a safety net for Rielly on the first pairing, why would you rely on someone whose best production is like Phaneuf's – on the second pairing with little power play?
If Maple Leaves Don't Get You Big Returns, Just Keep Marner
It's been two weeks since the Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Bruins in the first round, and some of the things that come out of this game are so hot, that the former vice president of the US, Al Gore, is warning the masses about their impact on the game. the environment.
I won't even dignify some of the suggestions I mentioned in this column. Most of you underestimate how good Marner is, or have no idea how important defensive players are to teams in this league. The reason we rarely see trades for young blueliners is because they're so valuable, that it's hard to find an NHL defenseman worth his weight on the ice.
The reason I brought it up is because it is type of trades Toronto should check out, and it features the two teams I write about primarily (and a shout out to Brooke LoFurno for the story idea). But it wasn't enough for the return of a 90-point player, a Selke Trophy nominee like Marner.
Then again, maybe this is the best they can come up with. Maybe no team will give the Maple Leafs a top defenseman, and someone like Jones is the only return they can get. If so, maybe they should just keep him.
Related: Why Marner Trade Talk With Predators Has Picked Up Steam
I know, I don't like the idea, either, and I don't see the benefit in repeating the same context again, and again, and again. But trading for the sake of trading is for those who play EA Sports' NHL games, and those who are in the game and do not wish to work in it for a long time. Unless I get a player, or players, that I know will make my club better, I'm not getting rid of one of the best players in Maple Leafs franchise history.
Toronto should be confident that if they trade Marner, they will be bringing in a young, top-four defenseman who would be a huge upgrade for a talent-starved blue line. If not, there's no harm in holding on to Marner and seeing if there's a dollar amount and years you can agree on in a contract.
It will be a summer of tough choices for Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving and president Brendan Shanahan. No one said it had to be the summer of dumb choices.
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