If you wanted to create the perfect straw man for everything old heads hate about the current crop of NHL stars, you’d make something that looks a lot like Mitch Marner.
He’s uber talented, but can’t show up in the most significant moments, and he’s always whining and groaning about his contract. Marner doesn’t seem to have the edge required to seriously contend for a championship compared to his 2015 Draft contemporaries — including Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Mikko Rantanen.
It also doesn’t help that Marner plays for one of the most scrutinized teams in the league with a rabid yet impatient fan base.
But as frustrating as he can be at times, he’s still one of the most talented players in the NHL. His free agency will become a tabloid moment for the league, and it could end in a record-setting contract.
Before the rest of the media jumps in on it after the playoffs, here’s my early ranking of the top teams who make the most sense to sign the most prized free agent.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Here’s an obvious opener: The Maple Leafs should have the best odds of signing Marner.
Another bad playoff run this year shouldn’t be a disqualification to a Toronto fan base that, at this point, has to be used to bad playoff runs. The sentimental value of retaining a homegrown star like Marner can’t be lost on the Maple Leafs.
They may need a shakeup in Toronto, but does a subtraction of talent equate to a shakeup?
The problem with the Maple Leafs may have more to do with having to play Brad Marchand every year than with the players on their roster.
While I view Toronto as a clear favorite to win the Marner sweepstakes, I can understand why their front office would be unwilling to dish out a record-setting contract to a player who hasn’t been helpful in any playoff series to date.
Los Angeles Kings
Outside of staying in Toronto, only a few places with the cap space and a preexisting team could give Marner a chance to contend immediately.
One of those is the Kings, who are reportedly very interested in signing the 28-year-old.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that LA’s new general manager wants to go “big game” hunting this offseason, and directly linked the team to Marner. Additionally, a writer for SportsNet labeled the Kings as the best choice for Marner to sign with.
Free agents in every sport have long been called to sign contracts in Los Angeles. The Kings even pulled off the biggest coup in hockey history when they pulled Wayne Gretzky away from the Edmonton Oilers.
In terms of pressure, LA and Toronto are worlds apart. If Marner is looking for a more stress-free lifestyle where he and his family can actually enjoy their lives without getting death threats from deranged Maple Leafs fans, then the Kings are a logical choice.
Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago GM Kyle Davidson has $30 million to build a more complete team around Connor Bedard this summer. Can some of that money go to signing Marner?
What the Blackhawks may try to do in the offseason is like having a child to save the marriage.
They should be rightfully concerned about their superstar, Connor Bedard, becoming as temperamental as Marner has become for the Maple Leafs if they can’t build him a legitimate contender. In an attempt to solve that problem, they may just take on another by signing Marner.
A line with Marner and Bedard would for sure be a lethal one, regardless of whether it’s just on the power play. But can a prickly personality like Marner’s be detrimental to building a winning culture again in Chicago?
It’s clear that the Blackhawks need a star and they’d have the money to make that star Marner, but there’s still some concern about the fit.
Utah Mammoth
Another team that has cash and needs a splashy free agent signing is the newly named Mammoth.
Utah has a little over $22 million to play with in the offseason, a need for an elite top-six forward, and an owner who wants the PR of grabbing one of an original six teams’ best players.
The Ryan Smith factor is comparable to how a high-profile owner like Mark Cuban in the NBA would operate. Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong confirmed this by suggesting that Smith has a hunger for big free agents and the cash to get it done.
“Ryan is definitely, and the ownership group, is capable of making sure that we can pretty much get anything done in the league that we need to get done,” Armstrong said.
Smith, who also owns the Utah Jazz in the NBA, proclaimed Utah a “top three” market for free agents in both sports.
Getting Marner makes good hockey sense, and it’s a signing that could mean a lot more for the Mammoth as a franchise.
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