Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner continues to be the hottest name in the free agency market. With the Stanley Cup Playoffs coming to an end in the near future, free agency will start to truly heat up, with Marner expected to land a potential record-setting deal.
It remains uncertain whether the Maple Leafs will be in play for the forward, but the expectation around the league is that he’ll test the market, and there might be a surprise team interested in acquiring him.
According to The Athletic, that team might be the Anaheim Ducks, which finished with just 80 points after a tough showing during the 2025 campaign.
“One question I tried to pose to everyone I chatted with over the past week: Who is going to have the most interesting offseason? Several folks pointed to Anaheim and GM Pat Verbeek wanting to make a big move or two to finally push the young club forward after seven consecutive years out of the playoffs…
“Some of the chatter is that they’ll potentially be the high bidder for Mitch Marner, with an unheard-of average annual value north of the $14 million that the Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl currently makes as the NHL’s highest-paid player,” The Athletic wrote.
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If Marner wants to win, playing for the Ducks might not be his best plan.
However, it isn’t like the Maple Leafs found much success in the postseason with him on the roster.
Perhaps that isn’t all his fault, as Toronto has had its struggles in the postseason over much of its existence; however, Anaheim has truly struggled in recent years, which he should consider.
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