Future $14 million man Mitch Marner headlines first Top 50 UFAs of 2025

Exactly two weeks remain in the NHL’s regular season – and then it’s Go Time. For some pending free agents, these last two weeks are the final statement they’ll get to make before hitting the open market.

For others, like Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Mitch Marner, the Stanley Cup playoffs will go a long way in determining whether he remains in the self-proclaimed center of the hockey universe – or just how much he’ll fetch on July 1.

To the surprise of no one, Marner is the No. 1 pending unrestricted free agent available this summer. Our friends at AFP Analytics projected Marner to earn $100.6 million on an eight-year deal ($12.6 million AAV) in their midseason projections. AFP’s final end-of-season projections are expected to be released in mid-May.

Coupling the difficulty in acquiring true difference makers with the rapidly rising salary cap, though, and it’s not difficult to envision a world where Marner earns closer to a $14 million AAV if he makes it to market.

And that’s the big ‘if.’ How will Toronto’s plea to waive his ‘no-trade’ clause, which became public, hinder the process this offseason? Will it be a non-starter if the Leafs have another quick exit anyway?

If anything, the notion that Marner might not make it to July 1 would deflate the promise of one of the most intriguing free agent classes in NHL history. Since opening night back on Oct. 8, Mikko Rantanen (traded twice), Igor Shesterkin, Jakob Chychrun, Linus Ullmark, Adin Hill and Carter Verhaeghe have all signed massive extensions, taking them off the market.

There is still plenty of intrigue, from Marner to John Tavares to Brock Boeser, Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand. Here is our first Top 50 free agents board of the season:

Daily Faceoff’s Top 50 Pending UFAs