Breaking: Chicago Blackhawks Listed As ‘Trade Destination’ for Leafs’  27-year-old forward.

The Chicago Blackhawks have been reported as a team that could be interested in Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitchell Marner.

According to Shayna Goldman of The Athletic, the Chicago Blackhawks are one of eight teams that “could or should” consider dealing for the Maple Leafs superstar if he becomes available.

“Chicago has the cap space to extend Marner to a high number on his next contract,” Goldman wrote. “But should it be in the market for a player like that just yet?”

Of course, it is the first question the Blackhawks should ask themselves. There is little doubt that Chicago has the cap space to make a trade for Marner and extend his contract. A completely distinct question is whether Marner’s career and the timescale for Blackhawks contention coincide (or not).

For what it’s worth, Chicago will enter the offseason with $32.9 million in cap space and only 15 players under contract.

Despite ending with the NHL’s second-worst record last season, the Blackhawks have a bright future, headlined by 2023 No. 1 pick Connor Bedard.

However, Chicago’s brass must consider whether they are prepared to add a talent like Marner at this point in their rebuilding process.

Out of context, no organization would turn down the opportunity to acquire a player of Marner’s caliber (almost a 100-point scorer), but things change when timelines are considered.

Acquiring Marner might have a huge impact on the team’s evolution and immediately enhance results on the ice, but there is still a significant gap between getting over the hump and making deep playoff runs.

Goldman compared the Blackhawks to the Anaheim Ducks in his column. Writing on the latter, she questioned whether it was time to pursue this type of deal. She then stated that Chicago faces “similar questions” to Anaheim.

“Anaheim shows a promising future, but is that enough?” Goldman wrote. “And on the flip side, are they ready to add a difference-maker like Marner right now, or would that be too premature?”

Marner has had a successful career with the Maple Leafs, earning him a six-year contract with an average of $10.9 million in September 2019. With his contract expiring in 2025, Toronto will either to move him now, extend it, or risk losing him for nothing.

Marner expressed his desire to stay with the Maple Leafs by signing a contract extension after the 2024 season ended.

“The goal is to be with Toronto long term,” Marner said during his exit interview on May 6.

The Blackhawks might use their cap room to extend Marner’s contract after trading for him. To make that happen, Marner would have to agree to the deal by waiving his entire No-Movement Clause. That would depend on Marner’s opinion of Chicago.

“The idea of playing with Connor Bedard for years to come could be compelling,” Goldman stated in an email. “But Chicago is further outside the playoff picture than Anaheim right now and has a long way to go in their rebuild, even with Marner in the fold.”

Marner had a strong 2024 regular season, scoring 85 points in 69 games despite missing a month with a high-ankle injury.

Bedard got 61 points in his debut season with the Hakws, appearing in 68 games and splitting his production between 22 goals and 39 assists. However, Chicago was so terrible that Bedard could only finish with a minus-44 plus-minus after 1,345 minutes of play.

Goldman believes the Blackhawks might give assets such as right-handed defenseman Connor Murphy or possibly star Seth Jones if they keep a portion of his deal. Scott Powers of The Athletic proposed dealing Jones for Marner on May 21.

Godlman’s biggest concern, however, is that Marner approved the transfer.

“The real complication is whether Marner would want to go to a team so far removed from the playoff mix,” according to Goldman.

During the Leafs’ end-of-season media availability in May, general manager Brad Treliving stated, “Everything must be on the table,” according to Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com. “When you go through a season like we have, everything must be on the table,” Treliving stated on May 10. “Everything needs to be examined. “Everything must be considered.”

If this trade focused solely on Toronto’s ideas on Marner and his future, it’s reasonable to believe things could go considerably faster. That is not the case.

“We need to look at every conceivable way for our squad to improve. “Mitch controls a lot of this whole thing,” Treliving told The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun on June 3. “We’re certainly not going to make a trade just so we can pound our chest and say, ‘Look, we’re different.'”