Quoting: AEcho
On way it works in my head for NSH is if Marner agrees to sign an identical deal to Forsberg, which I doubt happens.
Yeah, I don't think Marner taking a pay cut is very likely. Even getting him to re-sign for what he currently makes seems like a pipe dream.
Quoting: CaseyFlyman
I have no horse in this race, but this doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility. Props to you for that, and for getting creative.
If Nashville does want to move Saros, I could see Toronto making a Marner-Saros swap (with picks/prospects to adjust). Woll is a great backup to the first true 1A goalie Toronto has had in a while. Entirely dependent on Nashville wanting Marner, though, but I could see a team 10th in GF/G, 16th on PP%, and with a RW depth of Nyquist, Beau, Evangelista, and Smith being interested in an upgrade.
If NSH wanted to go all in for next season, and saw Marner as the rental they needed to do that, it doesn't make sense for them to trade Saros for him. As talented as Askarov is, he just doesn't have the NHL experience yet to be the guy you bank on in that scenario.
Trading for Marner and re-signing him doesn't make a lot of sense for NSH either. RW isn't a big enough need. Nyquist was a top 40 scorer this year, for a fraction of what Marner makes. Evangelista is coming into his own as a top six RW. There's great depth at the position coming up too (Kemell, Tomasino, Wood, Kiiskinen). NSH has bigger needs that Marner doesn't address.
Even if NSH did want to add a top line RW, meeting whatever price TOR wants for Marner wouldn't be my first move. I'd look at signing a UFA like Reinhart first. He's a better goal scorer, could come at a lower cap hit, and wouldn't cost any assets.