Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Mitch Marner is the top free agent available, and one insider predicts he will remain in the Atlantic Division.
Marner is the top-ranked free agent and is expected to get a massive deal on July 1 if he does leave Toronto. He finished his six-year, $65.41 million deal with the Maple Leafs and will get a raise.
NHL insider Max Bultman of The Athletic predicts Marner will sign a seven-year, $91 million deal with the Detroit Red Wings. The deal will pay him $13 million per season.
“If Detroit wants to be aggressive this summer, there’s certainly a case for going after the biggest name on the market, Toronto’s Mitch Marner,” Bultman wrote. “Yes, Marner would be another smaller forward in a lineup that already has a few of those. He’s also a 100-point scorer (fifth in the league this season) who gets annual Selke consideration. There aren’t many players like that floating around.”
The Red Wings are division rivals of the Maple Leafs, so it would add to the rivalry between the two teams. Marner would also be a key part of Detroit getting over the hump and potentially ending their nine-year playoff drought.
Marner recorded 27 goals and 75 assists for 102 points in 81 games.
Insider: Red Wings Bet Big on Marner
Marner is the top free agent available, and Bultman expects the Red Wings to be after him.
The NHL insider believes Detroit needs star power, and Marner fits the bill. Bultman also believes Marner could thrive away from the spotlight in Toronto.
“This scenario would feature the star power Red Wings fans have wanted for years, and would be fascinating to watch play out,” Bultman wrote. “Which player would come off of Detroit’s elite top power play unit, for example? How would Marner look away from the star-studded Maple Leafs core? And outside the Toronto spotlight?
“Those are all real questions, and Detroit would be betting big on Marner being enough to elevate this group into the playoffs,” Bultman added. “But hey, that’s sort of what you expect when you offer a player $13 million a year, right?”
Marner has spent his entire career with the Maple Leafs. He’s a three-time NHL All-Star.
Maple Leafs’ Marner Still Thinking About Future
After the Maple Leafs were eliminated from the playoffs, the expectation was that Marner would depart in free agency.
However, at the Maple Leafs’ locker cleanout day, Marner said he wasn’t sure about his future and said he was still going to think about it.
“I’ve always loved my time here. I’ve loved being here,” Marner said. “Like I said to you guys the other night, I have been so grateful and, you know, haven’t processed anything yet. It’s still so fresh and losing sucks… In the next couple of weeks, I’ll sit down with my wife and we’ll start talking. Trying to figure out what’s next.”
Marner is from Toronto and was a fan favorite. But, over the last couple of seasons, Marner received the bulk of the blame for the Maple Leafs’ lack of playoff success, which could lead to him leaving in free agency.
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