The Toronto Maple Leafs made one seismic change this summer.
Brad Treliving has retained a lot of key players during his short time as general manager, from Auston Matthews to William Nylander to Matthew Knies to John Tavares. However, things were much different with Mitch Marner.
We know all of the drama that surrounded the superstar winger and his future in Toronto over the last several years, and finally, both he and the Maple Leafs decided it was best to part ways.
It had to be done, but at the same time, it's going to be extremely difficult to replace a perennial 90+ point do-it-all winger; there aren't many others in the league.
With that in mind, Caleb Kerney of Heavy Sports came up with a creative trade proposal that would land the Maple Leafs a star winger who hit 109 points just two years ago himself in Jason Robertson. It would be a costly price to pay, including Matias Maccelli, top prospect Easton Cowan, and draft capital.
Maple Leafs receive: Jason Robertson
Stars acquire: Matias Maccelli, Easton Cowan, conditional 2026 third-round pick, 2028 second-round pick
"This would be a massive trade for both teams. The Maple Leafs acquire a superstar forward who can provide the offense lost from Mitch Marner's departure. The Stars add two great young players and some important draft capital," Kerney wrote.
"This trade proposal sees the Maple Leafs add Robertson, 26, who is a superstar in his own right. The 6-foot-3, 207 lb forward is coming off another 80-point season in 2024-25. He’s three years removed from a 46-goal, 109-point season in 2022-23. In return, the Stars would acquire Matias Maccelli. The 5-foot-11, 185 lb forward recorded 18 points in 55 games last year. The Stars would also acquire blue-chip prospect Easton Cowan. The 6-foot, 185 lb forward prospect recorded 69 goals in 46 games for the OHL’s London Knights," Kerney added.
The 26-year-old, Robertson, is heading into the final season of the four-year, $31 million extension he signed with the Stars in 2022 and will become an RFA at season's end.
Robertson's future in Dallas
While it all amounted to nothing, Jason Robertson's name popped up in quite a few trade rumors throughout the offseason.
After another disappointing playoff exit, where Robertson was inconsistent, there was plenty of talk that the Stars might not be willing to extend him on a big new contract and would rather acquire more depth in a return package.
It's hard to know how much truth there was to those rumors, though; after signing Mikko Rantanen to a massive long-term deal, along with all of the other big contracts Dallas already has, it did make some sense.
As we head into 2025-26, Robertson remains a Dallas Star, but it will be interesting to see how the season goes for the player and the team, because it could have a huge impact on whether they have a future together.