While the Toronto Maple Leafs haven't found much success in the postseason throughout the organization's existence, it'll be tough to watch the team go from a potential contender to one of the worst teams in the NHL.
Sure, Mitch Marner has a tough decision to make, and there are other moves the Maple Leafs could make that might impact their future, but they're still expected to be a decent team next season.
If Marner leaves, things will get interesting.
For them to be the squad they're looking to be, it might require a trade.
Recently, Cole Shelton of Heavy Sports reviewed a potential trade proposal in which the Maple Leafs could acquire a defenseman from the St. Louis Blues.
Maple Leafs acquire:
Brayden Schenn ($3.3 million retained)
Blues acquire:
Ben Danford
Pontus Holmberg
2028 first-round pick
"The proposed deal would be a blockbuster as Toronto would bring in Schenn while dealing a top prospect and their next first-round pick. The Blues, however, would retain some money on Schenn, which makes Toronto pay more," Shelton wrote.
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Schenn certainly wouldn't be a Marner replacement for many reasons, but he had a decent year a season ago, finishing with 50 points in 82 games.
He's never had more than 70 points in a season, but he does other things on the ice, and that's been evident throughout parts of his career.
Unfortunately, the Blues are one of the more average teams in the NHL, so it's tough to get a feel for what he could be on a contending squad. He won the Cup in 2018-19, but that was a long time ago.
That's not a knock on Schenn, but he'll have to prove with the Maple Leafs if he were to get traded there that he has the ability to still impact playoff games.