The Mitch Marner trade saga continues as one NHL insider has come forward with his thoughts as to what the Leafs are looking for in return for their star winger. Marner has not been able to escape the spotlight since he was drafted by the Maple Leafs. Sadly, that is just the way of life for high draft picks by the team. However, Marner has been particularly vulnerable to criticism and rumors as he somehow seems to be the odd man out among the team's core players. This has sparked wild speculation as to his status with the team dating back to the end of the season since he has just one year left on his current contract. Without a long-term extension in place, a trade remains a very real possibility. NHL insider Stu Grimson believes the team will want a gritty top-six forward as a main piece in the return should they trade him. <q>«I know the Leafs covet that kind of gritty presence as part of your top six, who can also generate top-end offensive numbers. He is that one piece that may bring the added necessity as management perceives it, the added necessity back to the mix to get them over the hump.» Grimson's full opinion on the matter can be seen in the video below. He uses Florida Panthers players Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett as examples of the type of player Toronto may want, but clarifies that those two are just examples. There does not appear to be any trade talks brewing between the Panthers and Leafs regarding Marner. <q>What would the return on a Mitch Marner trade look like for the Toronto Maple Leafs? If the Leafs do decide to trade Marner, they could get a haul for the 28-year-old, despite his contract expiring after next season.</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/NHLNetwork/status/1818783706699493590'> </a></blockquote></div> Even with just one year left on his deal, Marner should garner a huge return as one of the best players in the entire league. He is a solid two-way player overall, but he is known best for his playmaking ability. In fact, since the last lockout, Marner is the only Leafs player with 400 or more assists and he has 445. Granted, it helps to play with Auston Matthews, but that is still incredibly impressive. <q>Every Maple Leaf with 400+ assists since the lockout: � Mitch Marner He has 445.</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/statmusehockey/status/1819405297070625055'> </a></blockquote></div> To this point in his career, Marner has played in 576 regular season NHL games, all with the Leafs, He has 194 goals and 639 points in those games, putting him on track to be a hall-of-fame caliber player. Players like that are very rarely traded, but if Wayne Gretzky can be traded, so can Marner. Source: Heavy.com <a href='https://heavy.com/sports/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/mitch-marner-trade-haul/?fbclid=IwY2xjawEaStRleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHTw6QLHkwvFvW9uiR0SlAPsra4zagX-yefiB3MU_VJ4dgp3jibGtKKQtRA_aem_hS4XmRO6YfaBDi9Q_3nzCw' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Analyst Believes Maple Leafs Want A Gritty Forward in Return for Marner</a>