List of Teams Targeting Mitch Marner and John Tavares Revealed as Free Agency Nears
Photo credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
Mitch Marner and John Tavares are making some headlines after their recent contract projections lead them as some of the top free agents available this summer.
With the playoffs in full swing, all eyes are firmly set towards what the Maple Leafs are going to do after their second round defeat against the Florida Panthers.
But it won't be too long before we need to worry about the offseason and free agency, the NHL Draft, and all the excitement and anxiety that comes with the summer period.
Sweeping changes are anticipated, and there could be a very different team come free agency.
Speaking of, two big names expected to be a part of free agency are Mitch Marner and John Tavares.
Both men are on expiring contracts and at wildly different points in their career, but they both could be on the outs.
Expensive doesn't even begin to touch Marner's deal, and Tavares while much older, can still contribute at an elite level. They aren't going to be cheap, and could easily help transform a pretender into a contender.
Not only that, where are they even going to go? The cap is increasing sure, but it's not going to come cheap.
According to a new report, we have our answer; at least partially.
If Mitch Marner ends up hitting free agency on July 1, he's expected to command over $13 million per season.
Teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, Utah Mammoth, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Calgary Flames are expected to make strong offers if he becomes available.
Teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, Utah Mammoth, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Calgary Flames are expected to make strong offers if he becomes available.
But what is it actually going to cost? According to NHL Insider Frank Seravalli: A boatload of money.
Mitch Marner And John Tavares' Potential Destinations Revealed
In his latest article outlining the top free agents available on the market come July 1, Seravalli had both Maple Leafs players in the Top 3, with Marner being the most coveted of them all.
The projected amount that Marner is expected to make is a blistering $13M over seven years, a widely expensive but intriguing amount.
Intriguing because it would give credence to the fact the Maple Leafs might be able to re-sign him after all.
They are not going to budge seemingly on Auston Matthews' $13.25M cap hit, so just sneaking under that but making Marner the highest paid signing is a win-win.
He currently makes just under $11M per year, and a $2M increase is more than respectable, and puts him ahead of the likes of Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.
Mikko Rantanen signed for $12M per season and has put up an astounding 19 points in 13 playoff games, almost single-handedly eliminating his old club Colorado in Round One.
If Marner wants to get paid more than him, he should have performed like it.
While his 13 points in 13 games is respectable, he needs to be elite, not just great, and needed to show signs of his 102-point outburst he had this season (27G, 75A).
He's going to have his fair share of suitors, and teams like Chicago, Detroit, San Jose, and even Anaheim are all potential destinations, and would give Marner a chance to run his own offense, or work with some future superstars and help them grow.
The Blue Jackets, Penguins, Flames, and Mammoth could all use a veteran like him, and he could help give the younger kids the confidence needed to push them into that next level.
Plus it gives him less of a spotlight for him to thrive as Elliotte Friedman notes:
I think there are a lot of teams out there who believe he will be a better player outside of Toronto, that he will go away, it will be quieter and he will thrive.
One team who could also be a dark horse is the Los Angeles Kings, who with a new GM in Ken Holland and needing a change themselves, might throw the bank at Marner.
On the flip side, John Tavares is more than likely not going anywhere despite who would pay him.
Adamant about staying a Maple Leaf for life, Tavares is ranked third with a projected value of nearly $8M per year for three seasons.
It would pay him less than the $11M he currently makes, though it's still a respectable amount that would see Tavares play in Toronto until he is 37, and pretty much ending things on his terms.
While it may seem like an overpayment, you have to realize what you're getting with him. Still putting up fantastic numbers at 34, his knowledge and veteran instinct is invaluable.
He scored the second most goals since coming over to Toronto this past season, and he put any doubters to bed when it comes to his production.
Tavares was nearly a point-per-game producer, with 74 points in 75 games (38G, 36A) and found some incredible chemistry with both William Nylander and Max Pacioretty toward the end of the season and in the postseason.
Speaking of the playoffs, he's added seven points in 12 games; an increase from the last year, and his second highest output as a member of the Maple Leafs.
No doubt there are some teams like Chicago and Detroit who could use him, but there are also some teams on the cusp of breaking out who could use a player like Tavares like Columbus, Pittsburgh or even Utah.
July 1 is still a ways away, and the Maple Leafs have some business to take care of first, mainly that being about Team President Brendan Shanahan's contract.
But now that their playoffs have ended, it's going to be all eyes on how much Marner and Tavares are going to end up getting at the end of it all.
| POLL | ||
MAI 20|1209 ANSWERS List of Teams Targeting Mitch Marner and John Tavares Revealed as Free Agency Nears Which player would you like to see Toronto re-sign in free agency? | ||
| Mitch Marner | 129 | 10.7 % |
| John Tavares | 397 | 32.8 % |
| Both | 446 | 36.9 % |
| Neither | 237 | 19.6 % |
| List of polls | ||