It remains uncertain if Mitch Marner wants as much money as possible or is interested in playing for a playoff team. If either is the case, the Toronto Maple Leafs could offer him both.
The Maple Leafs have the money to spend and are currently in first place in the Atlantic Division with one game remaining in the regular season.
However, there could be a scenario where a below-average team comes in and offers him more than the Maple Leafs are willing to, and one was suggested to do so Thursday.
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press urged the Detroit Red Wings to sign him, linking the two sides in what would be a $14 million AAV deal.
“Mitch Marner is a pending unrestricted free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he’s the kind of impact forward the Wings desperately need as they try to overturn what is now nine straight years of missing the playoffs. The 2024-25 Wings weren’t good enough down the stretch, and without dramatic improvement, that’s the forecast again for next spring…
“Marner will command around $13 million annually, possibly closer to $14 million. Kane, a pending free agent, should come in around the same $4 million he made this season. Elmer Söderblom, Jonatan Berggren and Albert Johansson are restricted free agents, but they’re not going to cost much, relatively speaking,” she wrote.
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St. James raised many fair points, as the Red Wings are looking to be a playoff team during the 2025-26 season.
Marner would give them one of the top players in the NHL, and could help them reach their goals.
However, for a guy who has said winning matters, it’d be questionable to see him sign with a team that hasn’t made the postseason in nearly a decade.
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