Brad Marchand is savoring this trip to the Stanley Cup Final with the Panthers
Over 1,274 games in his career, including playoffs, there are some memories that escape Marchand now. There are some moments that he acknowledges taking for granted, moments where he didn't use an extra second or two to appreciate being part of. That won't happen now, he insists, since Marchand knows he's much closer to the end of his career than the beginning.
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'It's more like enjoying each day like, having fun when you come to the rink,' Marchand said. 'It can be stressful when you start overthinking things, start looking ahead or the pressure sometimes you put on yourself. This time around, I'm coming to the rink every day and just having fun and trying to live in the moment. You know, not taking anything too seriously.'
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Except the hockey, that is.
Marchand is incredibly serious about the task at hand — which resumes Wednesday night when Marchand and the Panthers open the Stanley Cup Final at Edmonton. It's a rematch of last season's Panthers-Oilers series, one that
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'This is special,' Marchand said. 'You don't get a lot of opportunities to be part of something like this.'
The Panthers are 8-2 in the playoffs when Marchand gets a point, 4-3 when he doesn't. They're 9-1 when he logs at least 15½ minutes of ice time in the playoffs, 3-4 when he doesn't. It's clear: At his age, he still impacts winning with his hands and his voice.
'Guys that are vocal and intense sometimes will get up and down your bench screaming at your bench, right? They just get so wired in the game and he never does that. It's always positive,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. 'It's always, 'Stay in there, hang in there.' ... It's bordering on legendary status at this point. He's pumping their tires and he's just, every day, excited. It's his personality.'
There is a very clear silly side as well.
Marchand made a trip to Dairy Queen on an off day with teammates essentially become a three-day story by saying he had one of their desserts between periods of a game against Carolina.
He keeps it light, until it's time not to. If there's a scrum on the ice, he'll be involved. If a teammate needs backup, he'll be there. A chance at the Cup might not come again, and Marchand — who
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'I may never get back this late in playoffs ever again in my career,' Marchand said. 'To be one of the last teams standing and being part of a great group of guys, these are memories that I want to remember and enjoy. I don't remember some of the series that I played and I know that there's moments that I missed out on or didn't really appreciate because I was worried about other things or stressing about other things. I'm not going to do that to myself this time around.'
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Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Southern hockey surge: NHL teams thrive in non-traditional markets, from Texas to Florida
Popeye Jones was an NBA rookie with the Mavericks the same season that Dallas debuted its new NHL team, and he decided to go to a Stars game after meeting future Hall of Fame player Mike Modano. 'I couldn't figure out hockey. They were jumping over and off the ice … I'm like, 'what's going on with this sport?'' Jones said. 'The puck flew up, I remember it hit somebody in the nose, blood was all over the ice and they kept playing.' Back during that 1993-94 season, before he became a hockey dad, the 6-foot-8 Tennessee native who had grown up playing basketball, football and baseball was like many people in the South: He knew nothing about hockey even as the NHL was making a push into non-traditional markets. Those days are long gone. NHL teams in the South are playing for and winning the Stanley Cup in packed arenas and there is steady growth when it comes to youth participation. Football may still be king in many Sun Belt locales, but hockey has been welcomed from Las Vegas to Texas to Nashville to North Carolina — and certainly in Florida. Jones has two sons who are now NHL players. Seth Jones, a defenseman for the Florida Panthers, is playing in the Stanley Cup Final after the 12-season veteran, the fourth overall pick by Nashville in the 2013 draft, was traded from Chicago to the defending champions in March. Caleb Jones played for the Los Angeles Kings, his fourth team the past seven years. The expansion Panthers came into the league with Anaheim in 1993-94, at the same time the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators were expansion teams the previous season, and the Hartford Whalers moved to Carolina and became the Hurricanes in 1997. Shane Willis remembers playing with the Hurricanes following the NHL's arrival in North Carolina — a process featuring a two-year transition to Greensboro before moving to Raleigh — and sometimes noticing a sparse home crowd during warmups. 'I'm like, 'Is anybody coming?'' said Willis, now Carolina's manager of youth and amateur hockey after five seasons as an NHL player. That isn't the case now, with Carolina having won a Stanley Cup in 2006 and currently on a seven-year run of winning at least one postseason series, including this year's run to the East final . Southern success This is the sixth season in a row a team from Florida has reached the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers are there for the third year in a row, this time in a rematch against Edmonton. Tampa Bay also made it to the final three straight seasons, winning the Cup the first two. The Lightning's run began by beating Dallas in 2020 in what is still the the 'southernmost' Stanley Cup Final — except that entire postseason was played in Canada after the regular season was shortened because of the pandemic. Dallas made its third West final in a row this year, coming up short of another Cup chance. But they were the first Sun Belt team to hoist the Stanley Cup in 1999, followed by Tampa Bay in 2004. Every game in the conference finals in 2023 was played in the Sun Belt , a first. The Panthers beat Carolina in the East like they did this year, and Dallas lost to Vegas in the West. Popeye, Mo and Sakic Popeye Jones met Modano after getting invited to do an appearance during a Dallas Cowboys game. 'Not being a hockey fan, I really didn't know who he was and he didn't who I was. But we just struck up a conversation and started talking,' Jones said. 'Just general talk about sports and whatever, and he was such a nice guy and I enjoyed sitting there and talking to him.' That helped Jones become a Stars fan. They both played home games at the since-demolished Reunion Arena before Jones was traded to Toronto and later Boston, homes of two of the NHL's Original Six teams. His only season playing in Denver was 1999-2000, when the Avalanche lost to the Stars in consecutive West finals before winning the Cup in 2001. It was there that he got to know Avs star Joe Sakic, another future Hall of Fame hockey player and now the team's president of hockey operations. Jones' oldest son, Justin, came home from school one day in the Denver area and said he wanted to play hockey, which had a significant influence on Seth, who was 5 or 6 at the time. With his sons interested in playing an unfamiliar sport , Jones sought advice from Sakic, who said the boys needed to take skating lessons. Seth Jones started playing hockey in Colorado, but was born in Texas and was on some Stars-affiliated youth teams after his dad later returned to the Mavericks. 'When I was there, you could see more and more kids starting to play in Texas,' the 30-year-old Panthers defenseman said. 'And then really the past eight to 10 years, you see kids actually moving from the northern cities down to Texas because the hockey has really grown. Where before, all the good kids out of the southern cities would move up north to Chicago and Michigan and New York and these places.' More and more players The number of players registered with USA Hockey has grown significantly in Southern states over the past 20 seasons. USA Hockey said 4,793 players registered in North Carolina for the 2005-06 season, with roughly 2,400 of those being 18 or younger. That overall number of players jumped 19.5% (to 5,728) for the season following their 2006 Cup run. By the 2024-25 season, the state had 8,698 players (up 81.5% from 2005-06) with 5,608 being 18 or younger (up 135.5%), though Willis noted the actual number is likely higher since not all players register with USA Hockey. The total number of registrations have increased even more in Florida and Texas over the past two decades. In Florida, the total number of players has gone from 9,363 in 2005-06 to 22,888 (a 144.5% increase), with the number in the 18 or younger age groups nearly doubling to 10,277. Texas went from 7,017 to 17,346 total registrations (147.2%) in that same span, with those 18 and under going from 5,457 to 7,199 (31.9%). Pete DeBoer, the Stars coach the past three seasons, had his first NHL head coaching job with Florida from 2008-11. He recalls the Lightning and Panthers then playing before sparse crowds with questions about whether those teams would even stay in those markets. 'To see where they're at now is really impressive,' DeBoer said before the team fired him this past week. 'Dallas for me is a perfect example of coming into a place and, you know, getting a foothold at the grassroots level, and that the amount of rinks, ice surfaces and facilities and kids playing minor hockey here in Dallas is way bigger than I ever anticipated.' Much of that came as a result of the 1999 Stanley Cup for the Stars. 'They won, they captured the city's attention and all this stuff got done. Rinks got built,' DeBoer said. 'I think Florida didn't get that done early, but is doing it now and they're going to reap the benefits of that. I think when you get a team that wins and it's in a non-traditional market, I think the benefits roll out for decades.' Introducing the game For the Hurricanes, early outreach included going to area schools and essentially running PE classes as an introduction to the sport. The team, aided by grant money from the NHL, has more recently purchased equipment such as balls, sticks and Hurricanes-logo apparel to donate to more than 100 schools. The team this year partnered with Raleigh suburb Apex to open two public street hockey rinks. Carolina, Dallas and Florida all have tie-ins to to the 'Learn to Play' umbrella program created by the NHL and NHL Players' Association to introduce boys and girls, and even adults, to the sport. Those programs include variations of providing hockey equipment and instruction, and on-ice workouts at multiple rinks in their areas. 'What you have to do is not only introduce the game of hockey to people, you have to introduce your brand. You have to make both things very attractive to parents to want to get involved,' Willis said. 'I see so many parents now, they come to games and we talk about it: if you can create a hockey player, whether it's street hockey or ice hockey, you're creating three fans. Because that kid is going to come to a game with Dad, Dad and Mom, maybe a sibling. So then you're in the range of three to four fans you're creating.' Popeye Jones knows how that can go, recalling a time when Seth Jones was 11 or 12 and the family wanted him to find something else to do in the summertime. 'A kid called and said hey they had some ice, you want to come and, you know, play some pickup hockey. At first I didn't want him to, but I saw he was moping around the house,' the elder Jones said. 'I told him to get his stuff. I'll never forget it, he got this bag together so fast and got in that car and I was driving him to the rink and I looked at him and I saw this big grin and I said, 'Well, I guess I got a hockey player.'' ___ AP Sports Writers Aaron Beard, Pat Graham and Tim Reynolds contributed to this report. ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Southern hockey surge: NHL teams thrive in non-traditional markets, from Texas to Florida
Popeye Jones was an NBA rookie with the Mavericks the same season that Dallas debuted its new NHL team, and he decided to go to a Stars game after meeting future Hall of Fame player Mike Modano. 'I couldn't figure out hockey. They were jumping over and off the ice … I'm like, 'what's going on with this sport?'" Jones said. 'The puck flew up, I remember it hit somebody in the nose, blood was all over the ice and they kept playing.' Back during that 1993-94 season, before he became a hockey dad, the 6-foot-8 Tennessee native who had grown up playing basketball, football and baseball was like many people in the South: He knew nothing about hockey even as the NHL was making a push into non-traditional markets. Those days are long gone. NHL teams in the South are playing for and winning the Stanley Cup in packed arenas and there is steady growth when it comes to youth participation. Football may still be king in many Sun Belt locales, but hockey has been welcomed from Las Vegas to Texas to Nashville to North Carolina — and certainly in Florida. Jones has two sons who are now NHL players. Seth Jones, a defenseman for the Florida Panthers, is playing in the Stanley Cup Final after the 12-season veteran, the fourth overall pick by Nashville in the 2013 draft, was traded from Chicago to the defending champions in March. Caleb Jones played for the Los Angeles Kings, his fourth team the past seven years. The expansion Panthers came into the league with Anaheim in 1993-94, at the same time the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators were expansion teams the previous season, and the Hartford Whalers moved to Carolina and became the Hurricanes in 1997. Shane Willis remembers playing with the Hurricanes following the NHL's arrival in North Carolina — a process featuring a two-year transition to Greensboro before moving to Raleigh — and sometimes noticing a sparse home crowd during warmups. 'I'm like, 'Is anybody coming?'' said Willis, now Carolina's manager of youth and amateur hockey after five seasons as an NHL player. That isn't the case now, with Carolina having won a Stanley Cup in 2006 and currently on a seven-year run of winning at least one postseason series, including this year's run to the East final. Southern success This is the sixth season in a row a team from Florida has reached the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers are there for the third year in a row, this time in a rematch against Edmonton. Tampa Bay also made it to the final three straight seasons, winning the Cup the first two. The Lightning's run began by beating Dallas in 2020 in what is still the the 'southernmost' Stanley Cup Final — except that entire postseason was played in Canada after the regular season was shortened because of the pandemic. Dallas made its third West final in a row this year, coming up short of another Cup chance. But they were the first Sun Belt team to hoist the Stanley Cup in 1999, followed by Tampa Bay in 2004. Every game in the conference finals in 2023 was played in the Sun Belt, a first. The Panthers beat Carolina in the East like they did this year, and Dallas lost to Vegas in the West. Popeye, Mo and Sakic Popeye Jones met Modano after getting invited to do an appearance during a Dallas Cowboys game. 'Not being a hockey fan, I really didn't know who he was and he didn't who I was. But we just struck up a conversation and started talking,' Jones said. 'Just general talk about sports and whatever, and he was such a nice guy and I enjoyed sitting there and talking to him.' That helped Jones become a Stars fan. They both played home games at the since-demolished Reunion Arena before Jones was traded to Toronto and later Boston, homes of two of the NHL's Original Six teams. His only season playing in Denver was 1999-2000, when the Avalanche lost to the Stars in consecutive West finals before winning the Cup in 2001. It was there that he got to know Avs star Joe Sakic, another future Hall of Fame hockey player and now the team's president of hockey operations. Jones' oldest son, Justin, came home from school one day in the Denver area and said he wanted to play hockey, which had a significant influence on Seth, who was 5 or 6 at the time. With his sons interested in playing an unfamiliar sport , Jones sought advice from Sakic, who said the boys needed to take skating lessons. Seth Jones started playing hockey in Colorado, but was born in Texas and was on some Stars-affiliated youth teams after his dad later returned to the Mavericks. 'When I was there, you could see more and more kids starting to play in Texas,' the 30-year-old Panthers defenseman said. 'And then really the past eight to 10 years, you see kids actually moving from the northern cities down to Texas because the hockey has really grown. Where before, all the good kids out of the southern cities would move up north to Chicago and Michigan and New York and these places.' More and more players The number of players registered with USA Hockey has grown significantly in Southern states over the past 20 seasons. USA Hockey said 4,793 players registered in North Carolina for the 2005-06 season, with roughly 2,400 of those being 18 or younger. That overall number of players jumped 19.5% (to 5,728) for the season following their 2006 Cup run. By the 2024-25 season, the state had 8,698 players (up 81.5% from 2005-06) with 5,608 being 18 or younger (up 135.5%), though Willis noted the actual number is likely higher since not all players register with USA Hockey. The total number of registrations have increased even more in Florida and Texas over the past two decades. In Florida, the total number of players has gone from 9,363 in 2005-06 to 22,888 (a 144.5% increase), with the number in the 18 or younger age groups nearly doubling to 10,277. Texas went from 7,017 to 17,346 total registrations (147.2%) in that same span, with those 18 and under going from 5,457 to 7,199 (31.9%). Pete DeBoer, the Stars coach the past three seasons, had his first NHL head coaching job with Florida from 2008-11. He recalls the Lightning and Panthers then playing before sparse crowds with questions about whether those teams would even stay in those markets. 'To see where they're at now is really impressive,' DeBoer said before the team fired him this past week. 'Dallas for me is a perfect example of coming into a place and, you know, getting a foothold at the grassroots level, and that the amount of rinks, ice surfaces and facilities and kids playing minor hockey here in Dallas is way bigger than I ever anticipated.' Much of that came as a result of the 1999 Stanley Cup for the Stars. 'They won, they captured the city's attention and all this stuff got done. Rinks got built,' DeBoer said. 'I think Florida didn't get that done early, but is doing it now and they're going to reap the benefits of that. I think when you get a team that wins and it's in a non-traditional market, I think the benefits roll out for decades.' Introducing the game For the Hurricanes, early outreach included going to area schools and essentially running PE classes as an introduction to the sport. The team, aided by grant money from the NHL, has more recently purchased equipment such as balls, sticks and Hurricanes-logo apparel to donate to more than 100 schools. The team this year partnered with Raleigh suburb Apex to open two public street hockey rinks. Carolina, Dallas and Florida all have tie-ins to to the 'Learn to Play' umbrella program created by the NHL and NHL Players' Association to introduce boys and girls, and even adults, to the sport. Those programs include variations of providing hockey equipment and instruction, and on-ice workouts at multiple rinks in their areas. "What you have to do is not only introduce the game of hockey to people, you have to introduce your brand. You have to make both things very attractive to parents to want to get involved,' Willis said. 'I see so many parents now, they come to games and we talk about it: if you can create a hockey player, whether it's street hockey or ice hockey, you're creating three fans. Because that kid is going to come to a game with Dad, Dad and Mom, maybe a sibling. So then you're in the range of three to four fans you're creating.' Popeye Jones knows how that can go, recalling a time when Seth Jones was 11 or 12 and the family wanted him to find something else to do in the summertime. 'A kid called and said hey they had some ice, you want to come and, you know, play some pickup hockey. At first I didn't want him to, but I saw he was moping around the house,' the elder Jones said. 'I told him to get his stuff. I'll never forget it, he got this bag together so fast and got in that car and I was driving him to the rink and I looked at him and I saw this big grin and I said, 'Well, I guess I got a hockey player.''
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Mitch Marner NHL free-agency tiers: How hard should each team pursue the star UFA?
The Stanley Cup Final is underway, and there are just over three weeks until NHL free agency opens July 1. In a shallow UFA class this year, longtime Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner is going to be the most prominent name to watch this summer. How hard should each NHL team pursue the 28-year-old top forward this offseason? Advertisement This week, The Athletic asked its NHL staff to put teams into four tiers — 'they should do everything they can,' 'they should consider it,' 'they should at least look into it' and 'they shouldn't bother' — based on how they think each club should go about pursuing one of the biggest UFAs to hit the market in years. Here's what they said. The Ducks are positioned to make a gigantic splash in free agency. Marner was the NHL's fifth-leading scorer. Wanting him and getting him might be different matters, but the last Ducks player to finish that high in the scoring race was Ryan Getzlaf (with 87 points) in 2013-14. Can you imagine a top line with Marner, Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier as they chart a path to the playoffs? — Eric Stephens The Bruins are short on game breakers after David Pastrnak. Marner would make them an instant offensive threat. He would play big minutes in all situations. The Bruins have the cap space to make the investment. — Fluto Shinzawa Convincing Marner to sign in Buffalo might not be realistic, but the Sabres should still make the effort to signal to their fans and to the league that they're serious about spending and winning. The fact Marner is from the Toronto area gives them an angle to pitch if he's interested in staying closer to home. — Matthew Fairburn A top-line winger coming off a 100-point season doesn't just come along every day. Even if there are questions about his playoff performances, injecting the market with a player of Marner's quality would change the expectations for the franchise. However, the sensible thing for the Flames is to continue retooling and let the young players take over when they're ready. — Julian McKenzie Marner would give the Hurricanes an elite point producer who fits their style. He's a hardworking forward who is defensively responsible and can be used in all situations. Though Carolina could use an upgrade at center over another wing, the team's ongoing pursuit of a superstar would be accomplished by landing Marner. — Cory Lavalette Advertisement The Blackhawks haven't given Connor Bedard an established star winger since he entered the NHL. Marner would be that and would help elevate Bedard's game. The Blackhawks are mindful of their cap space with so many young players coming, but they have the room now. The question for Kyle Davidson is whether he can project Marner to be worth the money if his rebuild plan comes together. — Scott Powers Before signing Brock Nelson to the three-year, $22.5 million contract extension Wednesday, there was a chance the Avalanche could've thrown their hat into the Marner sweepstakes. After that deal, Colorado has the biggest cap hit of any team in the league for 2025-26, with roughly $1 million in space. That all but guarantees they won't be in on Marner. — Jesse Granger The rebuild is over. It's time to win. The Blue Jackets' biggest needs are on defense and in goal, but the addition of Marner would give them one of the most dynamic groups of forwards in the league. The Blue Jackets were seventh in the NHL last season in goals scored (267 — tied with Toronto), and that was with a power play that languished for months. It would also be a major statement the Blue Jackets are in 'win' mode. — Aaron Portzline Any general manager owes it to his team to at least look into it anytime a 100-point player is available, but Dallas doesn't have the cap space to go after Marner. And even if Jim Nill were silly enough to trade away someone like Jason Robertson to clear up room, the Stars need some high-end grit more than they need more high-end skill. The blue line is more likely to be a focus this summer, anyway. — Mark Lazerus The Red Wings might not be just one player away from Stanley Cup contention, but Marner would nonetheless be a true difference-maker for a team hungry for a player of his caliber. Yes, he'd be another smaller forward in Detroit's top six, but he's also a 100-point forward who kills penalties. Those are rare. And for a team at risk of getting stuck in the middle, Marner would be a major needle-mover. — Max Bultman Advertisement The Oilers are always interested in improving their team with players who can mesh with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Marner certainly fits that description. Realistically, though, it's hard to figure out how the Oilers could make this work, even if Marner wanted to come to Edmonton. Draisaitl's big contract is kicking in, McDavid is eligible for an extension, and Evan Bouchard needs a new deal. — Daniel Nugent-Bowman There are dots to connect here — and most are on the player's end. No income tax, minimal pressure and a championship core are attractive to anyone. Bill Zito is fearless, so we shouldn't rule out his taking a look, especially if Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad are on track to head elsewhere. If Marner is willing to take a significant discount to land in a great spot, why not have the conversation? — Sean Gentille The Kings are still in win-now mode despite their inability to win a playoff series for a fourth consecutive year. One element they've lacked is an A-list star. Marner hasn't wowed in the playoffs, but he just had his first 100-point season. He's averaged 100 points for every 82 games he's played the last seven years. Adding him to a deep group that has lacked top-end firepower would boost their contending chances. — Eric Stephens When you have a player of that talent level, it's always worth a phone call. But it's just not realistic for the Wild to get Marner. They have around $15.6 million in cap space left, and a Marner deal would take up pretty much all of it. Minnesota needs to address its need at center, especially if it moves on from Marco Rossi (a restricted free agent whose contract is not included in that cap space). — Joe Smith Firstly, Marner is not leaving one powder keg in Toronto only to head to another one down the road in Montreal. Secondly, the Canadiens are not at a stage of their build when throwing lots of money at a premier free agent makes a whole lot of sense, even if there are timing similarities with the New York Rangers when Jeff Gorton signed Artemi Panarin in free agency. — Arpon Basu The choice would really be somewhere in between 'at least look into it' and 'shouldn't bother,' but when you're as awful as the Preds were last season, you need to keep an open mind about any sort of impact player. That said, it's highly doubtful Barry Trotz would sign up for all that comes with Marner. — Joe Rexrode The Devils probably can't make a Marner move happen unless they clear some cap space, but they should at least be open if Marner is at all interested. He would make New Jersey's top six elite, though signing him would probably come at the expense of some bottom-six depth because of the money Tom Fitzgerald would have to move around to make it happen. — Peter Baugh Advertisement GM Mathieu Darche wasn't hired to conduct a teardown and full rebuild. Islanders ownership views the team as not that far away from being better; a good way to accelerate that process is to use some of their ample cap space on a dynamic player who's also defensively sharp. — Arthur Staple The Rangers want a big fish, and their lineup could most certainly use someone such as Marner, but their salary-cap situation makes it difficult to envision them making a play for the winger. They'd have to clear multiple contracts and would probably have to convince either Artemi Panarin or Mika Zibanejad to waive their no-movement clauses. That doesn't feel particularly feasible. — Peter Baugh There are two hurdles in the way of such a scenario that sees Marner turn to the dark side: the Sens' salary-cap picture and Marner's interest. The Sens have around $15 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia. Ottawa still has Fabian Zetterlund and Claude Giroux to sign, among other pending UFAs. Also, we haven't seen any smoke that suggests Marner would play for the Sens. Moving on. — Julian McKenzie The Flyers are devoid of high-end skill, so they should at least gauge Marner's interest. But this doesn't seem like a fit at the moment. The Flyers are set at right wing long-term with Matvei Michkov and Travis Konecny, but perhaps more crucially, they've always been targeting the 2026 offseason as the one in which they're going to open their wallets. — Kevin Kurz Marner is a great player. He's buddies with Sidney Crosby. He and Kyle Dubas know each other very well. The Penguins need an infusion of talent and have money to spend. Sounds great, right? But they are in the early stages of a rebuild, and a $100 million contract doesn't make sense right now. — Josh Yohe The Sharks are further away from contender status than other teams with plenty of cap space at their disposal, but players such as Marner hitting free agency don't come around every year. It doesn't hurt to have ex-teammates Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau selling him on the virtues of San Jose and playing with Macklin Celebrini outside a pressure-packed cauldron. — Eric Stephens There is one no-question bona fide elite talent in unrestricted free agency, and the Kraken don't have that caliber of player. They have a lot of other interesting players. Serious speed at the center. Some really interesting two-way wingers with one-shot goal-scoring ability. A legitimately good, deep blue line. A solid young starter. Add in Marner, the Kraken could have a stew. — Thomas Drance I have to imagine Marner wants to go to a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and wants to maximize his value. Though the Blues appear to be on the upswing, they also don't seem positioned to meet those criteria. But he fits the type of player they need, and you'll never know his interest level unless you ask, so it's worth a phone call. Have Robert Thomas make that call since they're friends. — Jeremy Rutherford Advertisement Every team should at least look at the possibility of signing Marner this summer, even if it doesn't seem plausible. It's not often that elite talent makes it to free agency, so why not kick the tires? Can the Lightning pull it off? Almost definitely not, considering their cap outlook. But it doesn't hurt to check. — Shayna Goldman The writing has been on the wall for some time now that Marner would prefer to head elsewhere this summer. The Leafs tried to extend him this season and were unable to. Afterward, Marner spoke about his tenure with the team in the past tense and never expressed a desire to stay. After all this time and so much baggage, a split is what's best for Marner and the Leafs. — Jonas Siegel The Mammoth fell just short of a wild-card berth this season, and a big reason was that their offense couldn't keep up with most of the playoff teams. Utah finished 21st in scoring despite Clayton Keller's having a career year (90 points). They have a lot of intriguing prospects coming, a lot of cap space and aren't far from being a playoff team routinely. Marner would put them over the top. — James Mirtle Marner isn't going to come to Vancouver, but if it were hypothetically a realistic option, the Canucks should be all in on trying to make it happen. This team wants to get back to contending and needs elite talent up front more than anything else to do so. Marner's addition would be worth the price and whatever cap surgery the club would have to perform to make the pieces fit. — Thomas Drance On one hand, the Golden Knights and Marner appear to be a match. Vegas checks a lot of boxes for what Marner will be looking for, and Vegas' biggest need is scoring on the wing. On the other hand, Vegas already has several sizable cap hits, and Jack Eichel will be eligible to sign what projects to be a mega extension July 1, so adding Marner's contract could risk becoming too top-heavy. — Jesse Granger We just saw the Caps can maximize distressed assets in their mid-20s. Marner's game, say what you will about the postseason, is in better shape than that, and he'd work perfectly on a line with Alex Ovechkin and Ryan Strome. Washington's cap situation is challenging — raises for Jakob Chychrun and Logan Thompson are kicking in, among other factors — but the fit makes it worth a look. — Sean Gentille There's no way Marner is signing in Winnipeg. It's highly unlikely he's their guy and highly unlikely the Jets are his team. I didn't have the heart to commit to 'they shouldn't bother,' though, because that's a defeatist attitude. Winnipeg should obviously have the conversations, assess Marner's interest and consider his price. He's a tremendous player. It's just hard to imagine him as a UFA fit. — Murat Ates
