The Detroit Red Wings are looking to be active this offseason, and one insider urges them to pursue the top free agent available.
Toronto Maple Leafs superstar forward Mitch Marner completed his six-year, $65.41 million deal this season. He’s expected to hit the open market and will have several teams interested in him.
NHL insider Max Bultman of The Athletic urges the Red Wings to pursue Marner in free agency to bolster their offense.
“Mitch Marner is a bit of a lightning rod because of his (and the Toronto Maple Leafs’) playoff history, but there’s no doubting the caliber of the player,” Bultman wrote. “He’s a 100-point winger who has twice been a 30-goal scorer and routinely gets consideration for the Selke Trophy. That is a star forward, by any definition, and he would make the Red Wings a better, more dangerous team.
“There are still questions: Can Detroit add another smaller forward in its top six if it’s trying to get harder to play against? Do the Red Wings want to make him the highest-paid winger in the league? However, Marner is the top free agent on the market for a reason, and just about every team in the league should be calling, including Detroit,” Bultman added.
Marner would be a first-line forward with the Red Wings and add some much-needed offense to the lineup. Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in nine straight years, and the hope is that Marner would help them get back to the postseason.
Marner recorded 27 goals and 75 assists for 102 points in 81 games.
Red Wings GM Hints at Pursuing Prominent Free Agent
Detroit needs to add more talent to its roster, and Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman says he’s open to signing a prominent free agent.
Of course, the biggest free agent available is Marner, so perhaps the Red Wings would be interested in him.
“We’ve kind of felt that all along, we’re going to look at any good player. Any player that can help us in any role. If there’s a player worthy of spending whatever amount on, that has an interest in playing in Detroit and fits a need for us, absolutely we would try to do that,” Yzerman said at his year-end press conference. “We’re in a different stage than we were maybe five years ago in that we have a good young nucleus of players. And if we can add to that with a prominent free agent, we’d certainly entertain that.”
Detroit has just over $21 million in cap space this offseason.
Marner Undecided on Looming Free Agency
Marner will be the top free agent available, but he’s unsure about his future.
The star winger will be highly sought after, but after Toronto was eliminated from the playoffs, Marner was mum on 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 will likely get a deal worth over $12 million per season.
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