Marner (extended at 11.5M per for 8 years) for Jones (1.5M retained - 8M per for 6 years) + Toronto's 2025 1st rd. Pick + Chicago's 2024 2nd rd. Pick
Sign Montour at 7.5M per for 7 years.
Rielly - Jones
McCabe - Montour
Benoit - Liljegren
ex. Edmundson
They save 3.5M going from Marner to Jones, which covers half of Montour's salary. For years they have been top heavy at forward, this would help build a formidable defensive unit. With new risk of missing the playoffs because of the departing Marner, they pull in their own 1st to limit the potential damage.
Jones may be the best defenseman available in trade and Montour the best one from the free agent market. That would be a series of moves that could help transition the Leafs in a different direction come playoff time.
Overall, I like the trade, and we could probably grab Emery with Chicago's second round pick.... Which would be nice.
Montour/Roy I'd be ok with. I think Montour is a bit overrated based upon one outlier season. This year he had 16 ES points... Roy had 22 ES, is bigger, more physical, a bit younger and will be cheaper... I'd go with Roy personally, given the choice. Interesting enough Zadorov had 19 ES points this year, and has really stepped up in the playoffs, and is a much bigger guy and presence.
The question being, will you pay for Montour's one hit wonder year, and do you think that will happen again?
Also, I don't think Chicago would retain for six years.