Mitch Marner More Likely Than Ever to Join the Penguins as Relationship With the Leafs Crumbles

The Toronto Maple Leafs are just one game away from blowing a 2-0 lead in their second round matchup with the Florida Panthers, and in the process, another organizational meltdown in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

With Mitch Marner's play this post-season, it's all but guaranteed that the star forward will be ending up leaving the team if they can't win Game 6 and 7 against the Florida Panthers, and that could be the chance for Kyle Dubas to swoop in and land a star.

This off-season, the Penguins rank among the teams with the highest salary cap space in the league, and with Sidney Crosby in his final years in the NHL, Dubas may be forced to push to land a star, and given his relationship with Marner, that may be the best opportunity to do so.

On top of this, there have been reports that Marner and the Maple Leafs relationship is very rocky at this point in time, and given the good relationship between Dubas and Marner, it could be time to strike.

At one point this season, Marner was likely playing himself into a contract near $14 million a season on his next free agency deal, his play in the post-season has potentially taken that down significantly, and it could be time for the Penguins to buy low.

On top of that value, Marner played alongside Sidney Crosby with Team Canada, and with 87 being the best leader in the NHL, this could give Marner the chance to success in the post-season alongside one of the greatest players the NHL has ever seen.

Ultimately, Marner has proven himself to be a fantastic player in the regular season, something that Pittsburgh need, and if he wants to take the next step in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, perhaps it is worth the risk for Dubas as he looks to get Crosby and Malkin back to the post-season.