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The Frontrunners for Maple Leafs' Pending UFA Mitch Marner's Services Have Emerged


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TJ Tucker
May 23, 2025  (12:09)
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May 18, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (16) reacts after losing the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena.
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

While there's been no official decision yet, Sportsnet has revealed the teams it believes are the top landing spots for Mitch Marner if he leaves the Maple Leafs.

We still have some time before the opening of NHL Free Agency on July 1, but many analysts are already talking as though pending Toronto Maple Leafs free agent Mitch Marner won't be returning to the team.
TSN's Darren Dreger believes Marner may help preserve his legacy in Toronto by agreeing to a sign-and-trade before free agency hits, but others aren't so sure.
Regardless, Sportsnet writer Ryan Dixon has revealed what he believes are the top potential landing spots for Marner, if he doesn't re-sign with the Maple Leafs, and it looks like he has plenty of options.
"...all 32 clubs - including the only one that's ever provided Marner a paycheque so far - will have some level of interest until the moment he puts pen to paper on a new deal."
The first two teams listed by Dixon are the LA Kings and the Anaheim Ducks.
The Kings are in a similar spot to the Maple Leafs, having been eliminated from the playoffs in the first round the past four years, all at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.
They've since gone out and hired former Oilers GM Ken Holland, who seems determined to make a splash over the summer. Anaheim is still in the middle of a rebuild, but is poised to make some big improvements if the team can land the right names in free agency.
Next on the list is the newly-named Utah Mammoth, followed by the Vegas Golden Knights and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Joining the Golden Knights would make an already Stanley Cup-contending team that much better, while going to the Penguins would result in a reunion with Marner's former GM Kyle Dubas.
Perhaps the most intriguing team of those listed is the New York Islanders. The Maple Leafs will not renew President Brendan Shanahan, who may be headed to the Islanders in their search for a new President and GM, and signing Marner as his first act would send shockwaves throughout the league.
While the other three are looking to add to rosters that can already compete in the playoffs, the Blackhawks remain firmly in rebuild mode and, barring a miracle, will be there for a few years yet.
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MAI 23   |   6931 ANSWERS
The Frontrunners for Maple Leafs' Pending UFA Mitch Marner's Services Have Emerged

Where do you believe Mitch Marner will end up once NHL free agency opens?

Back with the Maple Leafs149321.5 %
LA Kings79611.5 %
Vegas Golden Knights178525.8 %
Other285741.2 %
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