The Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot of big decisions to make this offseason across the roster. With multiple key players entering free agency, the makeup of the team could look very different next season.
The biggest name heading to the open market is star Mitch Marner, who many around the league don't expect to return to Toronto. Marner is going to have plenty of suitors on the free-agent market, and this could see his price driven up very high.
There have been a lot of teams connected to Marner already, but there could be a favorite among the teams. That would be the Carolina Hurricanes, who were very aggressive in trying to land Marner at the trade deadline.
Carolina reportedly offered star Mikko Rantanen to Toronto for Marner, with the Maple Leafs turning the deal down. Rantanen was then sent to the Dallas Stars, where he has performed very well.
The Hurricanes should have some cap space despite being in the Eastern Conference Final, and adding a player like Marner could change everything for them. Carolina has reached the conference final multiple times in recent years, but just haven't been able to get over the hump.
Marner was very productive again for the Maple Leafs this season, scoring 27 goals and 75 assists. But his postseason numbers dropped, only scoring two goals and 11 assists over 13 games.
Teams likely won't be swayed by this, but it is something for prospective teams to think about. Either way, Marner will have a massive decision to make, and the Hurricanes could be a very intriguing landing spot for the star forward.
