Mitch Marner remains without a contract and there's a good chance he heads to free agency where teams will be fighting to sign him. He is going to get a huge payday whether many people think he deserves it or not.
The Chicago Blackhawks are one of two teams who are expected to make the biggest offer to Marner in free agency. The other team is the Carolina Hurricanes according to Chris Johnston. These two teams are in very different places. There's also a realistic chance Marner goes with another team as someone else could come in with a big offer or a better situation presents itself.
The Hurricanes tried to acquire Marner this season while shopping Mikko Rantanen, but Marner didn't want to leave. Carolina wants a star and Marner is the most readily available one. They are competitive and have made the conference finals two of the past three years, further than the Toronto Maple Leafs during Marner's career. If he wants a better chance to win immediately, that and a lot of money speaks for itself.
While Marner's playoff struggles have been noted, he far from struggles during the regular season, scoring 27 goals and 102 points this season. He will help a team get to the playoff and finish higher in the standings, but maybe a different environment than Toronto changes his playoff performances.
Marner disappearing late in every series is definitely a concern for team, but for a team like the Blackhawks, they have to worry about taking the step out from the bottom of the league and into the playoffs first. As I mentioned, the Maple Leafs could just be the issue for him and he would be fine with different players and playing for a different team with less pressure.
The Blackhawks have plenty of cap space and not too many players to sign. There are a number of players coming off the books and going into retirement or heading to free agency while there isn't a lot of money needed to bring players back.
Marner is in his prime and should be for many more years. Connor Bedard and the majority of the young team aren't even there yet. A player like Marner would definitely help someone like Bedard take that next step as he's a shooter and needs a passer to complement him. While Marner would be paid like the top player and expected to perform, he has proven he can do that during the regular season year after year. Bedard is the face of the franchise and the spotlight won't be as much on Marner.
Is it a good idea to pay a ton of money to Marner in free agency? I wouldn't be eager to do so, but options are limited and the Blackhawks are in a place where they need to strike and improve. That is something that will help. I think Marner gets more than Rantanen in free agency and it will be an overpay, whoever wins the sweepstakes.
