Mitch Marner Linked to 2 NHL Powerhouses Ahead of Free Agency

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner has the chance to become one of the highest profile UFAs to hit the open market since his current teammate John Tavares did so in 2018.

Like Marner, Tavares is also a pending UFA that is eligible to sign with a new club on July 1.

By all indications it looks as though Marner will not be back with the Maple Leafs, which would mark the end of the era known as the "Core 4" of players that included Marner, Tavares, Auston Matthews and William Nylander.

Per NHL analyst Pierre LeBrun, there will be multiple teams in the mix to try and land Marner including a pair of top clubs in the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights.

Marner has routinely played against the Panthers, who are a divisional foe of the Leafs along with a pair of postseason matchups in 2023 and 2025.

Marner reached a career-best 102 points (27G, 75A) in 81 games with the Maple Leafs, who won the top spot in the Atlantic Division. Marner helped the Leafs beat the Ottawa Senators in the opening round, only to lose in 7 games to the Panthers in the subsequent round.

It's the 2nd time that the Panthers defeated the Maple Leafs in a postseason series in the last 3 years.

Marner came under considerable scrutiny after he produced only a lone assists in Toronto's final 4 games of the postseason against Florida.

If the Panthers were to land Marner, it would be the latest setback for the Leafs against the team that ended their playoff hopes twice now in recent memory.