.png?w=1280)
Updated Free-Agent Landing Spots for Maple Leafs Winger Mitch Marner
As we roll on toward the end of the NHL season and start looking ahead to the Stanley Cup playoffs, part of our attention is focused on what might happen come free agency in the offseason.
A big part of that discussion is what might happen with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner.
The 27-year-old is one of the elite talents in the NHL. He can score points for fun, he can defend well enough to earn attention from voters for the Selke Trophy, and he's in the final year of his contract and could become one of the biggest unrestricted free agents in recent memory.
There's no doubt the Maple Leafs would love to keep Marner in his hometown, but with the salary cap going up and teams all over the league eager to improve, the time has never been better to be a superstar free agent.
So, where is Marner headed? We've examined a few places that stand out from the rest because who wouldn't want to add him? We did the work of trimming the field for you.
Carolina Hurricanes
1 of 6
If there's one team to keep a close eye on when it comes to Marner, it's the Carolina Hurricanes.
They made an overture to Toronto close to the deadline that would have sent Mikko Rantanen to the Leafs for Marner. And as incredible as it would have been to see as a deadline trade, it's provided enough smoke for interest in him from the 'Canes.
The Hurricanes will have plenty of salary-cap space to make an honest run at Marner if they want to thanks to them having a pile of their own players on expiring contracts.
Carolina already has a strong team, but it's also an organization with a lot of pressure to make a deep run and reach the Stanley Cup Final.
If the Hurricanes fall short again this year, the pressure to do something to address that will be immense and knowing a player general manager Eric Tulsky nearly added is available will be hard to ignore.
Of course, there's also the question of whether Marner would want to go to Carolina, but if the 'Canes open up the vault for him, all things are possible.
Pittsburgh Penguins
2 of 6
Familiarity can help make connections happen in free agency; and when it comes to Mitch Marner, knowing his former GM, Kyle Dubas, is running the show in Pittsburgh is enough to at least consider the possibility of him becoming a Penguin.
There's no doubt there will be some changes to the roster in Pittsburgh, but with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang not getting any younger, it's in need of someone to help bridge the gap between now and what's to come. Marner makes a lot of sense in that respect.
The hangup for Marner here is that the Penguins are headed in the wrong direction. It looks like they'll miss the playoffs for the third straight year and are in need of a bit of a rebuild as their stars continue to age.
Marner could be the player to bridge the gap and give Crosby and Co. a puncher's chance of getting back to the postseason.
Chicago Blackhawks
3 of 6
Of the teams that will have a ton of salary-cap space to weaponize in the offseason, none are more threatening than the Chicago Blackhawks.
Chicago GM Kyle Davidson knows the time to get his team back into the mix for the playoffs is at hand, with Connor Bedard leading the way for an array of other young prospects who are poised to take big steps.
Putting Marner on Bedard's wing for the years to come would help vault them out of the basement and into the pack to compete for the playoffs.
One of the biggest issues facing Chicago this season has been the lack of scoring in general, but mostly how it's been unable to find a consistent group playing with Bedard.
It's not that the Blackhawks don't have other areas of the team that need improving, but with Marner potentially available and the team trying to get out of the basement, making him a big offer would be a sign that things are due to change.
San Jose Sharks
4 of 6
Another team that will have a boatload of salary-cap space to sign Marner is the San Jose Sharks. However, they're also in the middle of a rebuild and getting antsy to come out of it.
The Sharks got a glimpse of what their future holds with the way Macklin Celebrini, William Eklund and Will Smith have all played together. The highlights have been special and the skill oozing from all of them is more than apparent.
For San Jose, having a lot of cap space and Marner out there to be had, the choice to go hard after him is a no-brainer. The time may not be right for the Sharks to take a massive step toward returning to the playoffs, but having the forward slot in next to Celebrini should placate even the most skeptical of fans.
The money will be out there for Marner, but the opportunity to succeed must be as well. If he can be sold on the future in San Jose, getting him to join up might be easier than we're led to believe.
New York Islanders
5 of 6
Sometimes, it can be tricky to decide on potential contenders in free agency. And no team is more secretive than one with Lou Lamoriello at the helm.
The Islanders will be in a position to spend some money in the summer, and they will also need an offensive upgrade. Adding Marner would be a huge signing made possible by the Brock Nelson trade.
Trading away the 33-year-old opened up a place on the roster and helped open up the salary requirements needed to add a player like Marner. The Islanders could go from being a bang-on difficult team to handle to one that attacks with speed and skill not seen on Long Island before.
With Lamoriello in charge, though, good luck figuring out what it is they feel they need to address most. Yes, they've got a new contract to get done with defenseman Noah Dobson, but it's been almost an art as to how they're able to keep insiders out of the loop when it comes to making moves.
Adding Marner to play alongside Mat Barzal, Bo Horvat and Anders Lee would give their lineup a different dynamic and one that's not generally associated with teams built by Lamoriello.
For that reason alone, it's worth it just to see how it would work out.
New York Rangers
6 of 6
There's never a doubt that if a superstar becomes available, the New York Rangers will attempt to do what they can to add them to the roster. It's as classic a move as there is in the NHL, and bringing Marner to Manhattan would be a motivation for them.
Rangers GM Chris Drury has been trying to remake how the team and lineup settles out and adding a game-changer like Marner would give them in a new direction. They're a team that doesn't fear making a splash or fretting about the cost.
The problem with all of that, though, is the salary cap can get in the way of throwing money at your problems. If the Rangers were going to make a run at Marner, they're going to need to get their finances in order. That would mean moving on from veterans such as Chris Kreider or making other trades to free up money.
That's a lot of other work to get done to add a top player, but it's the exact kind of thing you do to make that happen. It's a long shot, for sure, but it would surely be worth it to add a player of Marner's caliber.
