Cole Caufield traded to Toronto? TSN surprises everyone

Only a year into his eight-season contract, Cole Caufield is already the subject of a trade proposal. However, it's for a well-known star player.

Indeed, it seems quite clear that Mitch Marner could be the player sacrificed by the Toronto Maple Leafs, to the point that Toronto fans are outright demanding his departure.

The situation is not easy, to the extent that even Auston Matthews felt the need to defend his teammate at the end-of-season review.

TSN network is proposing a trade between the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs, and it's far from unanimous. It's causing a huge stir online.



You read that right. The proposal is to exchange Caufield, who has 65 points as his best career season, for Mitch Marner, who flirts with 100 points every year, and the Leafs' first-round pick in 2025.

I understand why Caufield has good value. He's a young player who can score a lot of goals and will be a real bargain for a long time.

He earns $7.85 million per year until 2031, whereas Marner earns $10.903 million per season and will be an unrestricted free agent in July 2025. The first-round pick is compensation for this risk. Still, Marner is worth much more in my opinion.

Honestly, I don't think Kent Hughes would do this, nor the Maple Leafs. It's a situation where both teams lose, there's no winner. Marner will command an even more impressive salary on his next contract, and it could very well be outside of Montreal.

Caufield is a good player and comes at a low cost, but he's far from Mitch Marner and may never be as productive.

If Kent Hughes were able to sign Mitch Marner long-term before completing the trade, I would strongly consider the transaction, but even then, I highly doubt that a deal involving two rival teams' top players would be possible.