Remember when the Vegas Golden Knights acquired Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Nicolas Roy? The eventual sign-and-trade led to big things for the Golden Knights, scoring 17 goals and 45 assists. Well, it appears that the obvious was being stated as Roy was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for a first-round pick and a fifth-round pick.
Toronto trades Nic Roy to Colorado for a first and a fifth
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 5, 2026
It's obvious to see why the Golden Knights won the Mitch Marner deal. Roy has five goals and 15 assists with the Maple Leafs this season, providing lower-line help at center. But the latest move shows that Vegas got more bang for their buck for an Olympian winger.
Were the Maple Leafs trying to get that Marner juju back with the first-round pick? Who knows. Maybe that will be the case in the future. But the latest move does more than show that Toronto is waving the white flag.
What the Avalanche getting Nicolas Roy means for the Vegas Golden Knights acquiring Mitch Marner this offseason
For Colorado, it's smaller moves that continue to add up. After acquiring Nick Blankenburg from the Nashville Predators, the latest move also bolsters the offensive depth. The center provides lower-line scoring, specifically at the center position.
But the focus here is the Marner trade that shook the NHL landscape. It only proves that Kelly McCrimmon won the gimme trade. I mean, when you trade said fourth-line center for a superstar winger, what do you expect to happen?
It shows that the Golden Knights continue to win big, even if they aren't having the best offseasons. Even with moves like Carter Hart and Rasmus Andersson not working out as planned, Kelly McCrimmon can count on the Marner trade to fall back on. He didn't have to part with any draft picks during that time, making things even better.
On top of that, it shows that organizations like the Golden Knights are perennial playoff contenders. They're constantly in the Stanley Cup playoff hunt, making big moves like acquiring Marner. Meanwhile, you have organizational dysfunction within the Maple Leafs organization, where they can't advance beyond the second round.
With that, the Golden Knights should have some perspective into the situation and be thankul. You could be having a stroke talking about how your team lost to a Zamboni driver. Instead, you have an aggressive general manager who does whatever it takes to win another Stanley Cup.