The hope is that the Chicago Blackhawks use their vast salary cap space to land a star free agent this offseason. While the team navigates through this rebuild, it would be nice to get Connor Bedard some help on the top line.
A player such as Mitch Marner joining Bedard would provide the ideal pairing to help the Blackhawks return to playoff glory. Sure, there are concerns about Marner's game. He is also a point-per-game player who dished out 75 assists this season.
Imagine Bedard and him playing together on the same line. That has the potential for a lot of goals being scored.
However, it is becoming clear that Marner joining the Blackhawks is not going to happen.
Not when he is rumored to be asking for over $14 million a year, and not when the Carolina Hurricanes are rumored to be ready to pay that price.
When/if Mitch Marner hits the open market July 1, the expectation is the Carolina Hurricanes are going to take a massive swing to try and sign him. Sources say we shouldn’t be surprised if they go above $14M on an AAV over a 7-year term. UFA market opens in 18 days.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 13, 2025
The Hurricanes are projected to have around the same amount of salary cap space as the Blackhawks. They are also in contender status where the Blackhawks still need to develop a lot of their young talent to get there.
If Marner wants to get paid and continue to enjoy winning, he is better off signing with the Hurricanes.
Plus, let's not forget that General Manager Kyle Davidson loves having salary cap flexibility. It would not be shocking for Davidson to spread out his cap resources rather than put the bulk of the money into Marner.
Davidson could also likely get Nikolaj Ehlers and Brock Boeser for the cost it will take to get Marner. He could also pivot to Sam Bennett if the Florida Panthers somehow pull off a shocker and sign Marner.
All three of those players would raise the level of the Hawks just as much as Marner would. The key is that the Blackhawks cannot have a quiet offseason. They must spend!
Davidson must add some veteran help to move this rebuild along. Otherwise, it will feel like this losing phase will never end.
