Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner is expected to be the biggest name on the open market this summer in the NHL. Marner is likely to garner a massive deal that could see only a small handful of teams be truly interested in pursuing him.
But most teams will at least inquire about what it would take to bring him in. Marner has been one of the better scorers for the Maple Leafs over the years, and if he does leave Toronto would need to fill his production.
There is no shortage of teams interested in Marner, but only one can win his services this offseason. However, there is one team that the Maple Leafs star should completely avoid.
That would be the Florida Panthers due to multiple reasons. NHL writer Sean McIndoe of The Athletic warned Marner not to join Florida.
"It would also be incredibly risky for Marner, since if he joined a Panthers team that’s won the conference for three years running and they took any kind of step back, he’d get the blame. Don’t do it, Mitch. Nobody wins here. (Except the Panthers, and they do enough of that already.)"
While Marner would have a good chance to win with the Panthers, he would risk insulting a lot of Toronto fans. Marner would head to the team that has been a thorn in the side of the Maple Leafs, leaving a bitter taste with the Maple Leafs' fans.
And as McIndoe mentions, if Florida were to fall off from title contention, he would get a lot of the blame. There are many better landing spots for the Maple Leafs star, and he should take his time in selecting his next destination.
