Detroit Red Wings remain in the mix for Marner despite reports he prefers a move out West.
The Red Wings enter the summer with the hopes of making some moves that can hopefully propel the team into playoff contention for the first time in nine seasons. Detroit has $21.3 million in projected cap space and one of the options that came up was Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner.
Toronto's 102-point scorer is one of the league's top free agents in years. One lucky team will get a 28-year-old playmaker in his prime that is hungry to play meaningful games but in a quieter market than the hockey hub that is Toronto.
We recently spoke to the chances on the Red Wings signing Marner, explaining that his hometown of Toronto would still be in relatively close proximity and he would immediately join a team with hopes of making the playoffs.
Unlike Utah or Anaheim who have more cap space, Detroit would give Marner an immediate chance to get back into the playoff picture but with a new team that is on the way up towards building into a cup contender.
The only problem is the media circus still may be too much for Marner. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman spoke on the matter on his recent podcast "32 Thoughts" and explained that he heard from some players on the team that they expect Marner to travel West.
Friedman describe the move as being a "clean break" for Marner as he would be able to start new somewhere far away from the craziness of his home city. This may make things difficult for the Red Wings to overcome but there are still contenders inside the East.
The Carolina Hurricanes have been desperate to grab a big name superstar and Marner could be their guy as they have a slightly higher $28.4 million in cap space available. Friedman explained that the Hurricanes have been vocal about pursuing Marner saying "There's been a lot of reporting that Carolina is interested in him."
If Carolina could ease Marner's mind into staying in the East, who's to say Detroit can't convince him to join one of the most promising cores in the league. The Vegas Golden Knights have also been rumored to be in the conversation with Marner and could present another tough challenger for Detroit.
The biggest factor seemingly will be money as Friedman said that he is expecting the number to be very high on a per annual basis with it landing somewhere around $14 million per season.
One of the biggest pieces of news that came out in Detroit's favor is the Marner may also be seeking a shorter term deal like his teammate Auston Matthews has done in the past to allow himself to get an easy out when needed.
This could give the Red Wings a chance to persuade Marner by explaining the direction of the franchise and giving a compact plan for a four to five year deal at an aggressive price tag, where by the end, Marner can see the rising stars in the system like Nate Danielson, Simon Edvinsson and Axel Sandin-Pellikka.
The hope is by this point, Detroit will be in a contending position once again and fast track the process by adding in a bonifided 100-point scorer that can help players around him succeed. It's a tall order for the Red Wings to come out on top against a lot of teams that are already contending but despite the reports there still is a road map for it to happen.
