But how is letting Toronto sign Marner so easily good for other teams "business." I'm not saying teams should play hardball just because it is Toronto but Toronto is the team in this situation in this case.
I don't think any team should be doing Toronto a favour. Getting Marleau is basically allowing Toronto to resign Marner. No team should do it unless something good is coming their way.
Toronto has to get rid of cap space and this might be the easiest way to do so. If Toronto wants to resign Marner they're going to have to make room so teams know that and will take advantage. It's the other GMs in the driver's seat, not Dubas.
I understand that many teams can easily afford Marleau's contract but it's more than that. This is a big favour we are doing for Toronto which is basically allowing them to resign Marner and their other RFAs. It should cost a lot for them.