Nice try.
Marner is not available.

Gibson would decline, but wouldn't have to because Verbeek would decline. Marner isn't a Verbeek type player, and we don't feel like paying a winger 13 million AAV.

Marner has a NMC. He's not going anywhere

I agree that this won't happen since Marner, Gibson, and Treliving would not be interested in this, and perhaps Verbeek as well but I don't think it would be because Marner isn't a Verbeek-type player. I would argue that as a player, Verbeek would covet Marner for what he does on both ends of the ice. The AAV on Marner's next contract might be a concern, but before that, the big concern would be whether they would be able to retain him in the first place even if he agrees to waive in the off-season.

The other issue that Verbeek might have with this is that it accelerates their rebuild but the team wouldn't be ready to compete. If they are bringing in Marner, would they want to trade Gibson in the first place (someone the Leafs need less than they need Marner or a top-end defender)? In terms of cap, he's the easy target to move along with Zegras but I'm sure they would be in search of a goalie even if they like what they have with Dostal, which then doesn't make a whole lot of sense for them. If Marner were to hit free agency then I think they would pay a ton of money to acquire him because they would then be in a position where they could be expected to compete. They could then trade Zegras elsewhere if they wanted to further bolster the defense.

When you have an opportunity to acquire talent like Marner, it’s not going to matter whether the player is a “insert GM name” guy or not. That’s like saying Verbeek wouldn’t draft Bedard because he’s not 6”3 220😂 If Marner was offered to Anaheim for that laughable return they’d take it and run😂

Nah, we like having depth.

Where's the value for a player who puts up 90+ points every season? Zegras has never really lived up to expectations and Gibson is a negative value on that contract.

Yeah the ducks have such great depth that’s why their in a playoff spot