Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Mitch Marner will be the top free agent come July 1, and he’s favored to sign with a Western Conference team.
Marner completed his six-year $65.41 million deal with the Maple Leafs and should be highly sought after this offseason. The star forward has been linked to several teams, but TheScoreBet put the Chicago Blackhawks as the betting favorites to sign Marner.
The Blackhawks have odds of +275, which implies a 26.7% chance of signing Marner. The Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Utah Mammoth, and Carolina Hurricanes round out the top five in odds to sign Marner.
“The Chicago Blackhawks are the +275 favorites at theScore Bet to land Marner’s services. The fit makes sense considering the Blackhawks desperately need to add some skill at wing to help Connor Bedard,” the article read. “While a Bedard-Marner duo would be on the smaller side, there’s no debating that the combo would be as dynamic as any in the NHL. Chicago also has $30 million in cap space, per Spotrac. That’s more than enough to get a deal done.”
The Blackhawks have been linked to Marner for months now. If Chicago is looking to make a run at the playoffs next season, signing Marner makes sense.
Marner would bolster the Blackhawks’ offense, as last season, he led the Maple Leafs in points with 102.
Maple Leafs Not Listed in Odds to Sign Marner
One noticeable team not given odds to sign Marner is the Maple Leafs.
According to theScore, there are two possible reasons why Toronto isn’t listed.
“You’ll notice the Leafs are absent from the oddsboard. That could be one of two things: This situation is so fluid that the sportsbook doesn’t want to take the risk that Marner re-signs overnight with his hometown team, or there’s no chance he returns to the Blue and White. Whichever direction the Marner story goes, it’ll be the talk of the offseason until he puts pen to paper,” the article added.
Marner still could negotiate with the Maple Leafs and be brought back. But, oddsmakers seem to think that isn’t a possibility, and he will hit the open market on July 1.
Marner is ranked as the top free agent available by DailyFaceoff. The outlet projects him to get a seven-year deal worth $13 million per season.
Marner Mum on Future With Maple Leafs
After Toronto was eliminated by the Panthers, the future of Marner was immediately put into the spotlight.
However, at the year-end press conference, Marner said he wasn’t thinking about free agency or his future at this time.
“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 one of the best players in the NHL, and Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube says he enjoyed coaching him, perhaps leaving the door open for a return.
“I love the guy and love coaching him. I love his energy, personality. He’s a hell of a player,” Berube said. “You know, he does a lot for this team, night in, night out, in a lot of different areas of the game. So I got nothing but good things to say about him.”
Marner has spent his entire NHL career with the Maple Leafs.
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