Following last week’s NHL trade deadline, a major storyline has been the future of Toronto Maple Leafs star right winger Mitch Marner.
Marner is in the final year of a six-year contract and will be a UFA this off-season unless he re-signs with the Maple Leafs on a contract extension. While he’s on pace for career highs in assists and points, he’s focused on playing hockey and letting his agent and team figure it out.
Where could the 27-year-old Marner wind up playing next season and beyond? Let’s look at six possibilities for the pending UFA, starting with the likeliest option.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Marner staying with the Leafs is still the most likely possibility, as both Marner and the Leafs have spoken publicly about their desire to stay with each other.
But with the potential for Marner to go to free agency and test the open market, it’s going to cost the Leafs a pretty penny – at least, in the $12-million to $13-million range. That would be a considerable raise on Marner’s current salary of $10.9 million, but if the Leafs once again falter early in the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring, there is going to be a sizeable number of Toronto fans who want the team to move in a different direction than bringing back looming UFAs Marner and star center John Tavares.
That said, if Marner does leave via free agency, it will be difficult for the Leafs to replace what Marner brings to the table. So it’s very possible, if not probable, that Marner stays with his hometown team. There’s been too much history between Marner and the Buds to sever ties between the two parties, and so long as they can make the money work, the Leafs and Marner will probably continue their working relationship.
Utah Hockey Club
Marner choosing Utah may not be as far-fetched as some would have you believe. The Utah HC will have more than enough cap space next season to accommodate Marner’s contractual demands. They’re also a young team on the rise that’s looking to add a high-impact veteran or two to put them over the top in their goal of making the Stanley Cup playoffs. That could be Marner.
Clayton Keller is Utah’s leader with 23 goals, 50 assists and 73 points in 63 games on a line with Nick Schmaltz and either Barrett Hayton or Logan Cooley for most of the season. Having Keller on the left wing and Marner on the right could create a dynamic top line that makes any player a scoring or playmaking threat. It would also be a massive opportunity for Cooley to develop as a No. 1 center alongside two elite players and add depth to the rest of the team’s lineup.
After dealing with the fishbowl lifestyle that is part of playing in Toronto, Marner may find the notion of being in a quiet market like Salt Lake City to his liking. He would be instantly beloved in Utah if he chose to be there, and serving as an elder statesman of sorts with the Utah HC might appeal to him.
Pittsburgh Penguins
A recent NHL on TNT broadcast picked Pittsburgh as a potential landing spot for Marner. Colby Armstrong mentioned the Penguins loaded up with draft picks and prospects this season, and they now have more than $26 million in cap space.
What NHLer wouldn’t want the opportunity to play alongside Penguins icons Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin? Marner wouldn’t have to do all the heavy lifting with the Pens, and he’d be reunited with former Leafs GM and current Penguins GM Kyle Dubas.
But the challenge for Penguins management would be convincing Marner to join a Pens team that has missed the playoffs for three-straight seasons. The pressure on Marner would be instant and considerable if he joined Pittsburgh, and the Penguins would still have notable flaws – most prominently, their defense and goaltending. Those would be out of Marner’s control.
Buffalo Sabres
At first blush, the prospect of Marner choosing to be in Buffalo seems remote at best. We’re talking about a player in his prime wanting to be part of a franchise that has been one of the most inept, not just in the NHL but in all of professional sport. Even if the Sabres could pay Marner what he wanted, it’s not probable that he’d want to join a team that still could miss the playoffs next year.
On the other hand, Marner playing for Buffalo would allow him to be only about 90 minutes from his Toronto home, with fewer media members on his case on a daily basis. And he’d be playing for a Sabres team that has its share of above-average young talent in need of an experienced hand. Buffalo would need to convince Marner that becoming a Sabre wouldn’t be just a lateral move but a proactive move that would pay off with multiple playoff appearances.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes are a legitimate Cup contender right now, unlike most of the other teams on the list. They had enough interest in Marner to ask for him in a trade for star right winger Mikko Rantanen, according to The Athletic’s Chris Johnston. So pursuing Marner in free agency does make sense from Carolina’s perspective.
Given that Marner didn’t waive his no-trade clause to join the Hurricanes, there is a question about whether he would want to go there in the off-season. But Carolina could be a nice fit for him after making a bigger pitch in the summer.
The Hurricanes could once again use a game-breaking talent, and Marner is an elite playmaker who could line up beside Sebastian Aho. While Rantanen was meant to be more of a goal-scorer for Carolina, Aho has three-straight 30-goal seasons – he can focus more on positioning himself in high-danger areas while Marner finds him with most passes.
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