"Leafs fans in shambles": NHL X in a frenzy as rumoured Mitch Marner trade package component Nic Hague gets traded by Golden Knights

In a somewhat surprising move, the Vegas Golden Knights traded Nicolas Hague to the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and forward Colton Sissons.

Hague was reportedly in talks of being a trade package to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the sign-and-trade the Knights wanted to pull off before Mitch Marner hit free agency.

Acquiring a player's rights before they hit free agency gives the team the ability to sign them for the maximum term of eight years. The Knights and Leafs were in talks, as also confirmed by Leafs general manager, Brad Treliving, during the NHL draft.

“You’d always like to get something, right? That’s not always the case. That’s probably as far as I want to get into it, but we'll see how things go,” Treliving said on Saturday.

Hague has now signed a four-year $5.5 million AAV contract with the Predators. He is a strong defensive figure on the third line. He scored just 20 goals and 83 points in 364 games for the Knights.

Following the trade, NHL fans on X tried to troll the Leafs as they felt the Knights had left them high and dry.

"Leafs fans in shambles 😂😂😂😂," a fan made fun. "That’s not Toronto maple leafs?," another fan asked. "Wouldn’t this be collusion Elliotte, because they already talked on a contract before the trade? Just asking for the Maple Leafs fans rn," a fan questioned. "Leafs in the dirt," another fan said. "Retarded leafs overplayed their hands," a fan opined. "Now the Leafs are going to watch Marner sign with Vegas Tuesday morning and get 0 in return," a fan made their feelings known.

In addition to Hague, forward Nicolas Roy was included in the deal aimed at freeing more cap space for the Knights. Along with the two, who had an annual average worth of $4.86 million, the Knights were set to place Alex Pietrangelo on LTIR for an additional $8.8 million, providing them enough flexibility for Marner's estimated $12 million free agent salary.

However, after the trade, they have just $757,857 in cap space with two players in return.

Leafs reportedly looking to accuse Golden Knights of tampering

As reported by Elliotte Friedman on Saturday on the 32 Thoughts podcast, the Toronto could take it up with the league regarding Vegas tampering with Mitch Marner's free agency.

Any player isn't expected to have talks with another new team till he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.

"There's been some talk that if Marner goes to Vegas, the Maple Leafs will go after Vegas for tampering," Friedman said. "Again, I have no proof that Vegas is guilty of anything, but it's a time around the league where teams are extremely sensitive about it. And — as a couple of GMs told me on Saturday — they think the NHL is itching to try and make an example out of someone."

Now that the sign-and-trade appears to be off, the Leafs might put pressure on the league to take action against the Knights. It might result in a $5 million fine for Vegas, the forfeiture of draft picks, and the transfer of a few picks to the Leafs.

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Edited by Krutik Jain