B/R Staff Roundtable on the Best Team for Mitch Marner in 2025 NHL Free Agency

Mitch Marner will be the grand prize for one team in NHL free agency come July 1.

The winger may have his critics in Toronto, but there's no doubting his production, including a career-high 102 points this season with 75 assists, also a career mark.

However, the 28-year-old has been the poster boy for recent Maple Leafs failures in the postseason and an overhaul of the roster seems imminent.

With that in mind, the B/R NHL writers decided to put their thinking caps on to decide which would be the best team for the playmaking forward.

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Carolina Should Be on Marner's Mind

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Sebastian Aho and Jaccob Slavin

On March 9, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported the Carolina Hurricanes offered Mikko Rantanen to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Mitch Marner before the trade deadline.

The deal fell through because Marner declined to waive his no-movement clause, and the Hurricanes shipped Rantanen instead to the Dallas Stars.

Marner might feel more inclined to join the Hurricanes as a free agent. They have three key factors working in their favor.

First, they have the cap space to pay him the hefty raise he's bound to command on the open market. They have a projected $28.4 million with 20 active roster players under contract. On March 17, general manager Eric Tulsky told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun that he intended to be aggressive in the UFA market.

Second, the Hurricanes are a perennial playoff club, reaching the Eastern Conference Final twice in the last three seasons. Marner's two-way game would fit well within head coach Rod Brind'Amour's system, and his offensive skills would be a significant boost to their scoring punch.

Third, Marner would be out of the harsh spotlight that he's been under in Toronto for the past nine years. He can relax with his family away from the arena without feeling like he's living in a fish bowl.

- Lyle Richardson

Marner Should Stay in Toronto

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Maybe it's just me, but Marner isn't the biggest problem on the Maple Leafs.

Sure, he hasn't performed quite to expectations in the postseason and the Leafs are caught in their cycle of playoff ineptitude. But that doesn't mean getting rid of him will magically be the cure-all for Toronto's woes.

Consider this for Toronto: Who in the league are you getting to replace Marner's production? Unless it's a perennial All-Star who can put up 100 points per season and play a strong two-way game like Marner does on the wing, you're only going to get an inferior player.

As for Marner himself, he's an Ontario boy who grew up a Leafs fan. While he's dealt with harassment by "fans" who hounded him for his play, there has to be some part of him that wants to shut up the minority and put things right with his hometown team.

Toronto is in a tricky cap situation with pending restricted free agent Matthew Knies looking to cash in as well, and Marner wanting megabucks will no doubt complicate matters. Nevertheless, GM Brad Treliving should figure out a way to cut from other parts of the roster before deciding to part ways with a homegrown Leaf cornerstone.

- Lucky Ngamwajasat

Music City is the Destination for Mitch

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As our man Lucky suggested, the Maple Leafs could, if they chose, keep Marner.

But just because it works on paper doesn't mean they can sell it to the paying customers.

So, consider the Nashville Predators.

The series of splashes made by GM Barry Trotz last summer resulted in a competitive flop on the ice, to the tune of a seventh-place finish in the Central Division that also translated to 14th in the Western Conference and 30th overall.

They've got a smidge more than $17 million in space for next season and that number could swell if rumors surrounding one of last year's signees, Jonathan Marchessault, pan out and his $5.5 million annual price are indeed on the way to Tampa, Florida, Seattle, Dallas or Vegas.

Among those certainly staying, left winger Filip Forsberg dipped from 94 points to 76 amid the 2024-25 disaster but it’s easy to envision those numbers spiking again with Marner, whose 520 assists are fifth in the league since 2016-17, orchestrating plays from the opposite side.  

And given Tennessee’s lack of a state income tax, it’s no stretch to assume Marner might have Music City high on his own list of prime financial destinations, too.

- Lyle Fitzsimmons

Philadelphia is Perfect for Marner

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The Flyers are in a much better position than their record last season suggests. Up to the trade deadline, the Flyers ranked fourth in the NHL by 5v5 expected goals percentage, per Evolving Hockey. With even mediocre goaltending, the Flyers make the playoffs.

But what else was lacking in Philly? Difference-makers. They knew how to win in the trenches, but they lacked skilled players who could take latent possession and turn it into goals. Matvei Michkov is a superstar in the making, but beyond him sit a group of second- and third-line players.

As for Marner, only he truly knows what he’s seeking in his next destination. We can infer that Philadelphia offers plenty of amenities. Cap flexibility won’t be an issue and they can pay him whatever it takes. While Philadelphia is a fervent sports city, a dispersed focus on the other teams there will take pressure off.

And he’d have a soft landing in terms of expectations; the Flyers will be competitive next season, but his existential worth as a hockey player won’t be challenged after every loss as it was in Toronto.

- Adam Herman

Vegas Should Roll the Dice on Marner

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If you were in Marner's shoes and you just spent the first half of your career playing for your hometown team as one of the top 10-15 players in the NHL, but all you've ever heard about is how your team always came up short in the playoffs, would you want to see things through or would you want to go somewhere quieter?

Yeah, peace and quiet sounds good. But if it's about money and joining a winning team that enjoys a legacy of success in a city where pressure doesn't exactly exist on the outside, wouldn't Vegas be the best place to go?

You know it would be, and that's why Marner should head for The Strip.

Vegas had a distinct lack of offensive punch in the playoffs outside of Jack Eichel. Mark Stone didn't look like himself, Tomas Hertl had a rough go of things, and the depth attack they had all season struggled.

You could ask how Vegas could make it work and then I'd ask you: Have you ever known Golden Knights management to care about that?

Marner teaming up with 2015 draftmate Eichel would give Vegas a lethal threat on the wing.

Marner would get to play on another elite team only it would be one without crippling playoff history and decidedly less of a year-round spotlight on it.

Oh, there are also all the highlights a city like Las Vegas has to offer as well, I guess.

- Joe Yerdon