With Mitch Marner’s name being heavily involved in trade talks, the Chicago Blackhawks need to avoid trading for Marner this offseason. Alot of people think that Mitch Marner would be a good fit due to the Hawks aiming for a top forward to play alongside Connor Bedard. However, the Blackhawks should stay far away from Marner even despite their need for talent. Let’s cover some of the reasons why the Hawks shouldn’t trade for Mitch Marner.
Blackhawks are a Bad fit for Marner
Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson runs a system based on hard-nosed hockey nightly. It is obvious that Marner would not fit this system. Questions around Marners effort levels and his defensive ability have always been major problems in his game. Marner has also become more of a perimeter player in recent seasons which has had minimal impact.
It seems like Luke Richardson is the coach of the future in Chicago. Richardson’s ability to develop younger players make him a very valuable coach. There’s doubt that the Hawks would make a change at coach unless the team take a step back next season. Marner just would be an expensive piece putting up empty stats in Chicago. He would need to fully buy into the system for the move to pay off at all. The only way a Mitch Marner trade to Chicago would be if Richardson was no longer behind the bench.
Marner needs an Extension
The Blackhawks have alot of cap space, but that doesn’t mean that Kyle Davidson wants to throw money around. Davidson only has two players under contract after the 2025-2026 season. Marner is on the final year of his current contract he went on to sign in 2019. Marner would need a new deal and all signs are pointing to him becoming one of the top cap hits in the NHL. Given the contracts of Elias Pettersson and William Nylander, Marner is in line get a raise on his next deal. A Mitch Marner trade to Chicago would seem more realistic if Chicago was less conservative.
It’s hard to imagine Kyle Davidson to be willing to back up the brinks truck for Marner like some other GM’s might. Davidson clearly wants to allow the prospects to emerge, so adding an NHL ready player who wants a new deal doesn’t seem like something he would go for. Don’t be surprised if Davidson is more conservative with his money for the next few seasons. Chicago would need to trade Seth Jones
Any Mitch Marner trade to Chicago would likely involve Seth Jones
The Maple Leafs are in need of an offensive minded defensemen after John Klingberg missed a majority of the season due to injury. The Leafs would need a defenceman back in any deal for Marner and both Kevin Korchinski and Alex Vlasic are untouchables making Jones an obvious candidate.
Even though Seth Jones is a very frustrating player, he is still a veteran on the Hawks blue line. He is consistently one of the Hawks ice time leaders and has the pedigree a team looks for in a leader. Sure, Jones has played nowhere near up to his contract so far, but consider the team around him.
Now Jones has expressed interest in being traded this offseason, but that’s a whole other can of worms. Trading Jones for an expiring contract in Marner just doesn’t work for me. Even if Jones struggles, at least he is in Chicago long term while Marner could easily take a pay day elsewhere.
The Blackhawks need to stay far away from Mitch Marner and turn their attention toward players who better fit their system. Also the Hawks should continue to develop prospects from within. Considering everything, trading for a frustrating player like Mitch Marner doesn’t seem worth it for Chicago.
Main Photo: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
