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a day ago
- Sport
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NHL rumors: Pierre LeBrun makes Maple Leafs prediction for Brad Marchand
The post NHL rumors: Pierre LeBrun makes Maple Leafs prediction for Brad Marchand appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Florida Panthers are two wins away from their second consecutive Stanley Cup. One of the biggest differences from last year to this year has been Brad Marchand, who came over at the trade deadline. The former Bruins captain is going to hit NHL free agency on July 1 and should have plenty of suitors. The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun theorized that Marchand could join the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency after a dominant postseason. Advertisement '…I do believe the Toronto Maple Leafs will be among the possibilities for Marchand. I mean, he mentioned during the second-round series with Toronto that he grew up a Leafs fan. But to be clear, there are multiple teams in play for Marchand if and when he hits the market.' LeBrun references Marchand's press conference after the Panthers' 6-1 win in Game 7 against the Leafs. He spoke about how he grew up a Toronto fan and believes the pressure from the fanbase causes some of the poor playoff performances. The Maple Leafs will have cap space, with Mitch Marner potentially leaving the team in free agency. For years, Marchand has been a thorn in Toronto's side. He has been on the team that eliminated the Maple Leafs five different times in his career. That includes this year, when he dropped three points in Game 7. With Marner likely leaving, the Maple Leafs need some scoring. Marchand can provide that, while giving them a physical edge to help in the postseason. But LeBrun says there is no guarantee that Marchand leaves Florida. 'The door isn't closed on staying with the Florida Panthers, but with pending unrestricted free agent and Conn Smythe contender Sam Bennett a top priority for the Panthers and Aaron Ekblad also a pending UFA, it's probably most likely Marchand is going to market where total dollars will be the top priority moreso than the actual average annual value. I think he's going to get three or four years and easily north of $8 million a year.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Myles Straw's RBI single
Blues Have Clear Free-Agent Defenseman To Target One area the St. Louis Blues should be looking to improve this off-season is the right side of their defense. Bringing in a top-four right-shot defenseman would certainly give their roster a boost as they look take another step forward in 2025-26. 4:17 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
New York Times
07-06-2025
- Sport
- 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
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NHL rumors: Insiders provide update on Mitch Marner, potential replacement for Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs head into the offseason with uncertainty after extending their Stanley Cup drought to 58 years. With NHL free agency looming, one of the club's biggest questions regards the future of All-Star winger Mitch Marner. During an appearance on TSN 1050's First Up, hockey insider Chris Johnston said that the Maple Leafs could explore trading Marner's rights in the week before NHL free agency opens. For now, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Toronto wants clarity on what Marner is planning to do. 'That's usually something that happens in the last week or so before July 1st, but I'm sure there's going to be some conversations between then and now. I don't think he came this far playing out his contract year to sign a new deal now. I just think he's of the mind to at least look at the open market.' TSN's Chris Johnston on if the Toronto Maple Leafs impending free agent Mitch Marner Advertisement Related: Insider sheds light on Maple Leafs' challenging contract talks with John Tavares Examining Mitch Marner's future with the Toronto Maple Leafs Marner, age 28, is poised to become one of the top NHL free agents this summer. The 6-foot winger, selected by Toronto with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, played a critical role in another postseason failure by the club. Mitch Marner stats: 102 points (75 assists, 27 goals), +18 plus/minus, 6 power-play goals, 7 game-winning goals, 15.6% shooting rate, 4 blocks, 49 hits, 56 takeaways, 106 giveaways In a contract year, Marner's plus-minus (+21 to +18) dropped, but he played in 80-plus games for the second time in three seasons while setting career-highs in assists (75), points (102) and tied his career-best for power play assists (27). 'I think, first of all, the Maple Leafs are going to ask for clarity. Just where is this going? Is it 100% you are testing free agency on July 1st? Or is there any conversation that can be had here? And that's what I think they'll do, is they'll ask that first and see what the answer is, and go from there.' Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on where things stand between the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mitch Marner Advertisement Back in 2019, Marner received multiple offer sheets as a restricted free agent, but he remained committed to Toronto and the club ultimately signed him to a six-year deal worth $65.385 million. With the NHL salary cap climbing significantly next year ($88 million to $95.5 million), the price will be even higher now. Between the cost and Marner's subpar performance in the Stanley Cup playoffs – 2 goals and -1 plus/minus in 13 games – Toronto seems very open to moving on but they would need to find a quality replacement. Related: Longest championship and playoff droughts in pro sports, including Maple Leafs Chris Kreider named as a potential Maple Leafs target During an appearance on The Fourth Period, Dave Pagnotta mentioned that he expects the New York Rangers to listen to offers for winger Chris Kreider this offseason. If that happens, Pagnotta believes that the Maple Leafs could target him as a replacement for Marner. Advertisement Chris Kreider stats (2024-'25): 30 points (22 goals, 8 assists), -5 plus/minus, 14.5% shot rate, 39.7% faceoff rate, 26 blocks, 79 hits, 9 takeaways, 39 giveaways Related: Why it's time for the New York Rangers to trade Chris Kreider Kreider, age 34, was taken by New York with the 19th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-3 winger had a down year this past season after averaging 68.7 points per season with the Rangers from 2022-'24. It could be a buy-low opportunity for Toronto, especially if the cost of acquiring him is lessened by New York wanting to dump his contract to create more room under the salary cap. Chris Kreider contract (PuckPedia): $6.5 million cap hit in 2025-'26 and 2026-'27 seasons Kreider would provide the Maple Leafs with more size and he has a better track record of scoring in the Stanley Cup Playoffs – 24 goals and 13 assists in his last 43 playoff games – which could prove appealing to a club with limited avenues of replacing Marner. While it would be a gamble, it could also be a more cost-effective option than re-signing Marner. Listen: Chris Kreider Trade debate, should the Rangers trade him
New York Times
22-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How plausible is the idea of Sabres pursuing Mitch Marner in NHL free agency?
A few years ago, Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner came to a Buffalo Bills game with his Toronto teammate Morgan Rielly. The two were wearing Bills jerseys and got a picture together on the sideline. The Bills posted about it on their social media accounts. There was some hand-wringing in the Sabres' fan base about Buffalo's NFL team celebrating the presence of two rivals of Buffalo's NHL team. But planted within that picture was a glimmer of hope — or maybe delusion — for Sabres fans. Advertisement What if Marner, a southern Ontario native, were willing to play in Buffalo when he hit unrestricted free agency in 2025? Well, we're six weeks away from the possibility of Marner hitting free agency. Marner is going to be hockey's biggest story this summer. If he hits the open market, which is looking likelier after another early exit from the Leafs, the 28-year-old will be one of the best players to hit unrestricted free agency in the last decade. Every team in the NHL would love to have a player like Marner. But the question will be how many teams can afford the price he's going to command on the market? Only a finite number of teams are in a position to make an aggressive offer, but you can bet more teams would make moves to try to position themselves if Marner becomes available. The Sabres could afford him, but the math is a little tricky. If Marner ends up getting as much as $14 million, the Sabres would need to make trades to open up the cap space. PuckPedia projects the Sabres to have just north of $21 million in cap space, but JJ Peterka, Bowen Byram, Ryan McLeod, Jack Quinn, Devon Levi and Jacob Bernard-Docker are all restricted free agents. Alex Tuch's next contract is looming. So signing Marner would require a few different things. Marner would need to want to come here. While that may be far-fetched given the state of the Sabres franchise, Marner and his wife are both from the Toronto area. They just had their first child. If he wants to stay close to home but get away from the intense spotlight of playing for the Leafs, Buffalo is a logical option. Marner has taken an outsized share of the blame for Toronto's playoff failures. In Buffalo, he would be a hero before he ever put on the skates. Simply helping the Sabres get back to the playoffs would earn him the adoration of the fan base. It doesn't hurt that Marner is a Bills fan, too. Advertisement The Sabres would have to be willing to overpay Marner to come to Buffalo. A $14 million cap hit seems aggressive, and it is. But when you have developed the reputation the Sabres have as a franchise, you pay more to convince players to come play for you. The Sabres haven't spent to the cap ceiling since the pandemic, so their willingness to pay is a legitimate question mark. So is Marner's ability to live up to a market-setting contract. But that risk is mitigated a bit by the salary cap rising in future years. General manager Kevyn Adams would need to be willing and able to rework his roster to fit Marner. Even a $13.5 million cap hit would require big pieces to move out to make room. Whether that was one or more of their restricted free agents or clearing space by trading Mattias Samuelsson ($4.285 million) or Connor Clifton ($3.33 million), Adams would need to dramatically change his team. For a team that has missed the playoffs for 14 straight seasons, with multiple seasons coming with this core group, rethinking the roster wouldn't be a bad thing. Adding a 100-point player like Marner is a rare opportunity and one worth exploring. He's been one of the NHL's most consistent playmakers and is a strong two-way forward. Over the last three seasons, Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin is the only player with more takeaways than Marner's 219. He's not without flaws. His postseason play has left something to be desired in recent years, but the way he played in the 4 Nations tournament provides hope that a change of scenery could help him thrive under postseason pressure. The Sabres would be a better team with Marner. But the combination of factors listed above makes it a long shot. If the Sabres were a perennial playoff team the way they were 15 years ago, maybe it would be easier to picture Marner coming to Buffalo. But the playoff drought and a coach and general manager in the final season of their contracts is a lot of uncertainty for a franchise that doesn't have a reputation for stability. If Marner weren't from southern Ontario, this probably wouldn't be a conversation at all. But if that fact means there's even a slight chance of luring Marner to Buffalo, the Sabres need to explore it. Even if that means a few of Buffalo's talented young players need to be moved to make it happen. Advertisement If sticking close to home isn't a priority for Marner, the Sabres' chances of landing him plummet. If he prioritizes winning or the allure of other flashier markets, the Sabres will need to find another way to reshape their roster. There are other options on the free-agent market, and the Sabres have plenty of trade chips to work with if they want to change the mix. The offseason is by no means Marner or bust. But the path to acquiring star-level talent isn't easy in the NHL. It's even more difficult in Buffalo for reasons Adams has outlined. Why not at least pick up the phone and make your best pitch?
