Frontrunner for Toronto Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner in free agency emerges
With the uncertainty surrounding Mitch Marner with the Toronto Maple Leafs, other teams are taking notice, with one team in particular emerging as an intriguing option for the Leafs winger.
That team would be none other than the Chicago Blackhawks. The team might not look great on paper still, but the addition of Connor Bedard last season had catapulted the team into contender status for free agent signings. After all, Bedard could very well be the next Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews. Those kinds of players tend to attract free agents to their team. Blackhawks reporter Mark Lazarus seems to think Marner could be on the team's radar come next summer.
While the rumors surrounding Marner have largely quieted down lately, we still have no indication from the Leafs that he will re-sign there. The longer this goes on, the more likely it would seem that Marner ends up somewhere else after next season, and the betting markets have taken that into account. While the Leafs remain heavy favorites on the markets to re-sign Marner, other teams have been given reasonable odds, with the Blackhawks rounding out the top 6 at +3500. Those are still pretty long odds, but it is notable that they are listed at all, given 26 other team in the league weren't even given odds.
Maple Leafs -225
Golden Knights +1200
Utah HC +1500
Kings +2500
Kraken +2500
Blackhawks +3500
The Field +1500
#LeafsForever
The Blackhawks could suddenly become extremely dangerous in the central division with a top line that features both Bedard and Marner. Furthermore, many of their top prospects figure to graduate in the coming years, potentially making the Blackhawks a contender once again. Could it be in the windy city that Marner finally finds playoff success? Stay tuned to find out.
Source: HockeyPatrol
Insider reveals which team will push hardest for Mitch Marner in free agency
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 28 | 337 ANSWERS Frontrunner for Toronto Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner in free agency emerges Do you think Mitch Marner will sign with the Chicago Blackhawks next summer? | ||
| Yes | 105 | 31.2 % |
| No | 232 | 68.8 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mikko Rantanen | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jake Debrusk | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Connor McDavid | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Brock Nelson | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Valeri Nichushkin | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Clayton Keller | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Jonathan Drouin | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Roman Josi | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Kirill Marchenko | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Kyle Palmieri | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Artemi Panarin | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Sebastian Aho | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Evan Bouchard | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matt Duchene | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 21 | 17 | 4 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 20 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 30 | |
Devils | 23 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 30 | |
Hurricanes | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 29 | |
Golden Knights | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 27 | |
Flames | 21 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 27 | |
Stars | 19 | 13 | 6 | - | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||