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Replacing Mitch Marner with Igor Shesterkin: Pierre LeBrun discusses the idea

 Andrew Taylor
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Replacing Mitch Marner with Igor Shesterkin: Pierre LeBrun discusses the idea
Credit: Getty Images

Much has been said this summer about the future of Mitch Marner. The forward, who is running out of the last year of his contract, was in the (very) bad graces of fans after the club’s elimination in the spring.

Rumours were circulating all over the NHL… only for him to end up staying in Toronto.

That said, just because he’s still with the Leafs doesn’t mean he’s here to stay. He doesn’t have a contract extension in his pocket, and he refuses journalists’ questions about his contractual situation.

In short, there’s a world in which Marner leaves Toronto on July 1… and there’s also a world in which the Leafs use that money to improve other aspects of their team.

And today, in the first episode of the Radar podcast (BPM Sports), Pierre LeBrun mentioned a scenario in which the money could be used to sign… Igor Shesterkin :

If the Leafs lose again in the first round, Igor Shesterkin is on the market and Mitch Marner hasn’t signed yet… – Pierre LeBrun

Obviously, we’re in a very hypothetical situation here. We know that, at the moment, the Rangers are prepared to pay more than $10.5 million a year to retain Shesterkin’s services… but we also know that, at the moment, there’s no agreement between the two sides.

And the goalie wants it settled before the start of the season, since he doesn’t want to negotiate during the regular season.

In the scenario described by LeBrun, we agree that the Leafs need to strike a blow. Freeing up Mitch Marner’s money (and that of John Tavares, who could re-sign for less) would give them room to maneuver, and if Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz don’t get the job done, the problem in front of the net will persist.

That’s where the idea of paying top dollar for Shesterkin, arguably the NHL’s best goaltender (especially in the playoffs), could be tempting for Toronto.

Such a scenario is still a long way off, but it’s far from impossible to imagine a world in which it would become a reality. The Leafs would have to pay a lot of money for a goalie like Shesterkin… but the club has already shown that it’s not afraid to pay big money for top players. And with Shesterkin, that money would be better distributed across the various positions.


Overtime

– Samuel Montembeault dreamed of making Carey Price-style saves .

– Classics.

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