Adedokun Waliyu 
One way or another, we’re heading for an end to the Mitch Marner tenure in Toronto.
Whether it’s a trade for Marner’s rights with the Vegas Golden Knights or Marner goes for nothing in return once National Hockey League free agency opens at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, the divorce between the Maple Leafs and all-star winger is on the verge of being finalized.
The belief remains that the Leafs and Golden Knights will work out a trade involving Marner’s rights prior to free agency, with centre Nicolas Roy possibly heading to Toronto.
The interest in Marner from Vegas is not new, and the Golden Knights are of Marner’s preferred destinations in free agency. If Marner does make it to the open market, the Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars are thought to be among the teams that would be at the front of the line.
We’ll see if the issue raised by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on his 32 Thoughts podcast on the weekend — that there was some talk that the Leafs might “go after” the Golden Knights for tampering if Marner was to sign with Vegas — comes to fruition in any way. Friedman stressed he had “no proof” whether Vegas was actually guilty of tampering.
We should keep in mind that discussions between NHL teams and pending free agents is not exactly a novel concept. The NHL, though, has gone out of its way to remind teams of the potential penalties that could come if tampering, in any case, is proven.
The NHL also can investigate any teams for tampering without being asked to do so by another club.
On Marner’s side, the position has been that interested teams will have the opportunity to make a pitch on July 1.
A trade for Marner’s rights presumably would change that, as the Golden Knights would have zero interest in going down that road without being close to certain that he would be signing with them.
One Vegas player who had been linked to the Leafs in a possible trade, defenceman Nicolas Hague, no longer is available.
Late on Sunday, Vegas traded Hague and a conditional 2027 third-round draft pick to the Nashville Predators for defenceman Jeremy Lauzon and centre Colton Sissons. Hague, who was a restricted free agent, signed a four-year contract with the Predators with an average annual value of $5.5 million.
Roy, 28, has two years remaining on his contract with an average annual value of $3 million. Roy would slot in as the Leafs’ third-line centre if he is acquired. The Stanley Cup winner in 2023 with Vegas had 31 points (15 goals and 16 assists) in 71 games last season.
As of early Monday afternoon, the Leafs hadn’t officially announced the signing of forward Matthew Knies to a six-year extension, one that carries an AAV of $7.75 million.
Once the Leafs make the signing public, it will amount to a rubber stamp, as Knies acknowledged the signing on Instagram on Sunday.
It was another tidy piece of good business on the part of Leafs general manager Brad Treliving, coming two days after John Tavares was signed to a four-year pact with an AAV of $4.38 million. Tavares probably would have fetched close to double that had he hit the open market.
Knies took significant steps in 2024-25 to becoming one of the premier power forwards in the NHL, scoring 29 goals and recording 29 assists in 58 games.
If Knies, who turns 23 in October, continues his rise, the contract will mature nicely in the Leafs’ favour as the salary cap increases. To be honest, even if Knies levels out and averages 30 goals a season, it’s still going to be good deal for the club. No one thinks that his production last season will be the pinnacle of Knies’ NHL career.
As Treliving goes about trying to shore up some forward spots this summer, whether it’s through free agency or via trade, he doesn’t have to worry about the left side on the Leafs’ top line with centre Auston Matthews. Knies has the spot cemented.
