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Maple Leafs Reportedly Threaten Golden Knights with Tampering Charges

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | Last updated Jun 29, 2025 11:21 AM ET

After reporting that the Vegas Golden Knights and Toronto Maple Leafs might be talking about a sign-and-trade involving Mitch Marner, Elliotte Friedman offered an update as to why. On his latest 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman believes there’s an element of tampering involved in this potential deal.

Elliotte Friedman updated the Mitch Marner, Golden Knights, Maple Leafs situation this morning on “32 Thoughts”.

This is why Friedge is the one of the best to ever do it.

What an update. Like…wow. pic.twitter.com/AnGIbsKwTc
— Sid Seixeiro (@Sid_Seixeiro) June 29, 2025

If Marner signs with Vegas as a free agent, Friedman has heard the Maple Leafs will go after Vegas for tampering. Should they make the trade with Toronto, the Maple Leafs will let it slide.

In other words, Toronto is ready to go after Vegas if they lose Marner for no return. If they send him a good player back, the chance the Leafs file for tampering goes away.

He adds that the NHL is itching to make an example out of a team that breaks the tampering rules and since it’s been rumored that Vegas was the frontrunner for some time, it might be easy to prove they’d been talking to Marner before they were supposed to be.

Is this blackmail? Is this the right thing to do if you’re the Maple Leafs and you risk losing the player when a team avoided a trade because they knew the player was signing?

This article first appeared on NHL Trade Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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