Most of the trade buss this offseason has surrounded Mitch Marner, who is entering the final year of his contract with the team next season. However, conversations with Marner have apparently stalled, as he is adamant about playing for the Leafs next season. Given that he has a full no-trade clause, that could potentially lead the team to explore other options, including trading their captain, John Tavares. Jeff Marek recently floated the idea of Tavares being traded to the Utah Hockey Club.
Marek makes a reasonable point here. Utah could do very well by adding a player like Tavares. Furthermore, the team has been linked to the Leafs at times in rumors surrounding Mitch Marner. However, Elliotte Friedman more or less shot down Marek's idea by stating that he is reasonably certain Tavares will still be on the Leafs next season.
That being said, this does not mean the Leafs cannot consider giving Tavares a slightly reduced role next season. After all, he started to show signs of age-related decline towards the end of the regular season. One fan proposed giving the captaincy to Auston Matthews.
Matthews seems like the most realistic option for the team's next captain anyways, and it could take some of the burden off Tavares. However, whether or not the team would consider making such a move remains to be seen.
