The perfect Mitch Marner trade for the Vegas Golden Knights and Toronto Maple Leafs?

There has been a sea of Mitch Marner trade rumors coming in. Some of them have been good while others... not so much. It's a part of a grander deal of speculation, which the Toronto Maple Leafs would love to end. The problem is they're tight on cap space, which is preventing them from doing anything substantial.

That's life when you have only $1,275,333 to work with for future moves. The Vegas Golden Knights are too familiar with this concept, for they're stuck with a tab of -$3,639,983 (sans LTIR). That'll make life miserable for both sides to get a deal done, specifically to get Marner a long-term contract.

But never fear, dear reader! There's a trade proposal that could work for both sides. This proposal could help each side address their biggest needs, whether it's adding blue-liners or getting the superstar that's desperately needed. Therefore, this should satisfy the two teams involved and make everyone happy...

...Or not. You can't please everyone with a take these days. There will be some critics who will chop your work down. It's a natural part of discourse and discussion and the best way to handle it is going with the flow. Remember, once it's out there, it's in the past. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, after all. Still, let's examine the trade proposal to beat all proposals.

The Vegas Golden Knights trade Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Mitch Marner

The Toronto Maple Leafs could use some good defensemen to fill their blue-line units. Shea Theodore might not be the most apt defensively. However, he's a great complimentary piece offensively and excels on the power play. He also has a $5.2 million cap hit, which would be reasonable for Toronto in a swap.

However, that's not enough since Mitch Marner is a $10.903 million cap hit. Theodore's contract wouldn't even cover half of the salary unless there was retention. Therefore, another defenseman would suffice. Enter Brayden McNabb, who carries a cap hit of $2.85 million. The Maple Leafs get a shot-blocking blue-liner that's great on the forecheck.

But, wait! There's more!

There's still $2.853 million of cap space to cover for the Golden Knights. There's no way this could possibly work unless they have another team retain salary. Luckily, that's Kelly McCrimmon's specialty, for he's developed a reputation for working such stipulations into these deals. Look at how he worked the Noah Hanifin trade, where the Philadelphia Flyers retained a quarter of the salary and the Calgary Flames retained half.

Therefore, there needs to be a team that'll cover the bill. Let's have the Flames foot the remainder since they have $19,199,166 in cap space. Overall, the deal should satisfy fans looking for a top-line player to add alongside Jack Eichel. Now, there will be dire consequences to this, such as the possibility of losing Eichel. However, the contention window is open, meaning big moves must be made.