Flyers Offseason: Odds Mitch Marner Trades the Maple Leafs for Philadelphia Are High
Fans hoping the Philadelphia Flyers swing big for Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Mitch Marner might see their wish come true this summer. At least, that's what the oddsmakers are thinking.
Marner, 28, is expected to test the free agent for the first time in his career, having just completed the six-year, $65.41 million contract he signed with the Maple Leafs on Sept. 13, 2019. Ironically, the 2019-20 season was the last time the Flyers made the playoffs.
Marner, meanwhile, has made the playoffs with the Maple Leafs every year of his NHL career. While his playoff performances have been scrutinized - and some of it has been deserved - Marner has still been plenty productive. The Markham, Ontario, native has 13 goals, 50 assists, and 63 points in 70 career postseason contests, with four of those goals being game-winners.
All signs (and reports) point to the 28-year-old star, who just had a career-high 102 points, finding a new team this offseason as a result. So where do the Flyers stand?
Flyers odds to sign Mitch Marner
At the time of this writing, theScore Bet currently favors the Chicago Blackhawks, who are devoid of forward talent outside of Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar, to land Marner at +275 odds. In other words, the implied probability there is about a 26.7% chance.
The Flyers, meanwhile, have the second-best odds to secure Marner's signature in free agency this summer, sitting cozy at +400. With Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster, Travis Konecny, and overall a better and more competitive team, the Flyers could make a better pitch to Marner at the end of the day.
They have an implied probability of 20%, so, slightly worse than Chicago.
Notably, the Flyers have better odds to land Marner than clubs like the Utah Mammoth (+550), the Carolina Hurricanes (+750), and Montreal Canadiens (+2000).
Marner's fit in Philadelphia
Right now, the greatest concern with fans in Philadelphia, aside from the aforementioned playoff performances, is Marner's actual fit on the team.
The former No. 4 overall pick has played center at the junior and NHL levels, albeit not regularly enough to warrant a full-time position change.
If he plays right wing, Marner will be jostling with Michkov, Konecny, and Bobby Brink for a position with Foerster and Owen Tippett already playing on the left. In the future, the Flyers may also need to create space for winger prospects like Alex Bump and Nikita Grebenkin.
Flyers Linked to KHL Star as Decision on NHL Future Looms Large Reigniting reports from earlier in the year, the Philadelphia Flyers are once again said to be in on KHL star Maxim Shabanov, an undrafted free agent forward mulling an overseas leap to start his NHL career.
The idea for the Flyers should be to secure as much talent as possible and figure out the rest later. Players like Marner don't hit free agency often; he's scored 20 goals every year of his career except for his rookie year and the COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 season, and he's scored 97 or more points in three of the last four seasons.
If the Flyers are serious about arming Rick Tocchet with star power and competing in the near future, they will make a genuine effort to sign Marner, for better or for worse.
Plus, Tippett is coming off the least productive full season of his NHL career and will have trade protection language in his contract kick in next summer. Brink, at 5-foot-8, might not have an NHL future playing on a checking line 82 games a season.
Can the Flyers prioritize developing these players over Marner while knowing they will never be as good as Marner? It's hard to say.
As for Michkov, he finished the 2024-25 season playing left wing anyway, and playing with an elite puck transporter and playmaker like Marner could take his new game to another level.
At center, the Flyers still have three first-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft in addition to 2024 first-round pick Jett Luchanko.
Loading up the winger positions ensures that the Flyers' young centers, be it Luchanko or other draftees, will have a much easier time offensively and won't have to "sink or swim" so much at the NHL level.
Marner, Michkov, and, to a lesser degree, Konecny, are all capable of making the players they play with better.
The Flyers cannot be afraid now that the stakes are high.
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