Maple Leafs Predicted to Lose Mitch Marner to 'Perfect' Eastern Conference Destination

Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner is expected to have a new home after free agency begins on July 1, and one insider believes he could be headed to a team that finished in the basement of the Eastern Conference.

Marner is expected to exit Toronto after the team's disappointing playoff exit, despite coming off a season where he notched a career-high 102 points and 75 assists last season. Though many teams are expected to have interest in the 28-year-old, Bleacher Report's Adam Herman suggested the Philadelphia Flyers could be the "perfect" destination.

Though the Flyers finished last in the Metropolitan division, Herman noted that the team is only a few tweaks away from being a playoff contender.

"The Flyers are in a much better position than their record last season suggests," Herman wrote. "Up to the trade deadline, the Flyers ranked fourth in the NHL by 5v5 expected goals percentage, per Evolving Hockey. With even mediocre goaltending, the Flyers make the playoffs."

Herman added that Marner could be the "difference-maker" that the Flyers are lacking. The destination would also allow Marner to leave the high expectations of Toronto, where he ended up a target for the team's playoff failures.

"And he’d have a soft landing in terms of expectations; the Flyers will be competitive next season, but his existential worth as a hockey player won’t be challenged after every loss as it was in Toronto," Herman wrote.