Maple Leafs land ideal Mitch Marner replacement from the Chicago Blackhawks in ideal trade proposal

In the past year, Leafs GM Brad Treliving sacrificed some interesting prospects in the hope of winning now. Nikita Grebenkin and Fraser Minten, two talented young players, were both dealt at the trade deadline. He also had to watch Mitch Marner step away during free agency.

Even if the Leafs are in a win-now mode, trading all future assets hardly makes sense, especially for players who struggle to have an impact on the ice every night.

However, in a new trade proposal from Heavy.com, the team could be parting ways with their 2024 first-round pick Ben Danford to target a forward from the Chicago Blackhawks' top six.

The Chicago Blackhawks already have a very good prospect pool, but the idea of adding a top prospect like Danford in exchange for a veteran would make a lot of sense.

The Hawks are building a very good young core, and if the organization wants to make room for the young players at the beginning or during the season, they'll need to make some trades.

In this scenario, they would send Teuvo Teravainen to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Ben Danford, as well as Nicholas Robertson and Calle Jarnkrok.

Although Teravainen had a great season last year, scoring 58 points with the Hawks, it's safe to say the Leafs could be hesitant to part ways with Danford, Robertson, and Jarnkrok to get him.

The 30-year-old center has two years left on his $5,400,000 AAV contract. Danford's entry-level contract will start this season, Robertson signed a one-year, $1,825,000 AAV deal this summer, and Jarnkrok is entering the last year of his $2,100,000 AAV contract.

Trading another great prospect for a veteran would be a high risk for Treliving, and it would show how desperate he is to win now at the expense of the team's future success.

With all the trade rumors going around between the Leafs and the Hawks, don't be surprised if a deal happens eventually.