Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Mitch Marner is set to be the top free agent available.
Marner will be highly sought after by several teams, as rebuilding teams and teams competing for the Cup will both be in on him. He completed his six-year, $65.41 million deal with the Maple Leafs and will be in line for a raise.
Marner has been linked to several teams, but NHL insider Patrick Present of The Hockey News predicts he will sign a seven-year, $90.6 million deal with the Anaheim Ducks. The insider predicts Marner will earn $12,952,528 a season.
“He is potentially the most scrutinized player in the NHL and could benefit from playing in a lower-profile market such as Anaheim,” Present wrote. “The possibility of slotting Marner into a top line next to Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier is as tantalizing an option as any, and the trio could become a dominant line for the foreseeable future, on both sides of the puck and in all three zones.
“A $13 million AAV would make Marner the highest-paid winger in the NHL, but he’s the kind of player who rarely becomes available,” Present added. “With the amount of cap space the Ducks have, and if they are interested in adding him, he’s the kind of player a team wouldn’t regret offering what it took to get him to put pen to paper.”
Marner would be a top-line player on the Ducks and would help Anaheim compete for a playoff spot. The surging Ducks appear to be ending their rebuild and are getting close to making a run at the playoffs.
Marner recorded 27 goals and 75 assists for 102 points in 81 games last season.
Ducks Owner Will Allow Team to Spend
Anaheim will be a team to watch in the Marner sweepstakes this offseason.
Ahead of free agency, Ducks owner Henry Samueli said he has given the team a green light to spend.
“We’re willing to make that investment into the team,” Samueli said. “We’ve told the same thing to Pat. Going out looking for players, you will have the budget you need to make this a serious playoff team. You don’t have to pinch pennies anymore. Do what it takes to make us a contender.
“He (Verbeek) is going to spend wisely. We’re not going to write stupid checks, but I told him, ‘Do what it takes to make this a really steady, perennial playoff contender and Stanley Cup contender down the road,” Samueli added. “And if that means signing big-name free agents, go for it.’ We told him, going forward, you will not be constrained by the budget.”
Anaheim enters the offseason with nearly $38.7 million in cap space.
Marner Uncertain on Future With Maple Leafs
Marner is the top free agent available, and he is still thinking about his future.
The star forward is set to be a free agent on July 1. After the Maple Leafs were eliminated in the playoffs, Marner says he hadn’t thought about his future.
“I’ve always loved my time here, I’ve loved being here,” Marner said. “I’ve been so grateful. I haven’t processed anything yet. It’s still so fresh… I’ll sit down with my wife. I’ll start talking and trying to figure out what the next steps are.”
Marner is a three-time NHL All-Star.
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