NHL Insider Believes the Maple Leafs May Already Have a Contingency Plan if Mitch Marner Walks

The Toronto Maple Leafs may already have a plan for how they'll spend their cap space if Mitch Marner ends up walking as a UFA next summer.

The Toronto Star's Nick Kypreos took to his platform to discuss Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner and where things currently stand between the player and the team. The expiring contract hangs over his head like a dark cloud and after a solid start to the season, Marner is reminding us all of the intangibles he brings to the table.

However, it's not a secret that the Maple Leafs thought about trading the winger this summer, providing he was willing waive his no-movement clause. The rumours were rampant, trade talks seemed to be happening, and both sides were more than willing to find greener pastures if the situation made sense. Eventually, the Leafs weren't able to find a suitor willing to cough up what they were looking for and Marner remained a Maple Leaf.

This week, Kypreos pondered that the Leafs essentially have 2 options on the table; they either re-sign Marner or they let him play out his contract for one final playoff run, a situation akin to Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning last year. The Lightning let Stamkos walk when they didn't find value for the team in meeting his contract needs. In the end, they replaced him with Jake Guentzel.

Kypreos believes the Leafs could do something similar when it comes to Marner. With players like Mikko Rantanen, Brad Marchand, and Sam Bennett available, provided they actually hit the open market, the Leafs certainly have some options.

'Tampa Bay's backup plan all along was to replace the money for Stamkos with free-agent Jake Guentzel's new contract. A similar scenario could play out for Toronto with pending free agents such as Mikko Rantanen, Sam Bennett or Brad Marchand, providing they are still available on July 1.'