One Team Appears to Be Officially Out on Top UFA Target Mitch Marner

The first season in the history of the Utah Hockey Club was fairly solid, and while the team pushed hard for a post-season spot, they would end up falling short of their Stanley Cup Playoffs goals.

Reportedly, owner Ryan Smith is preparing to be very aggressive in improving this team, and unsurprisingly, that has meant they've been linked to many big free agents ahead of the 2025 off-season.

Now however, top insider Chris Johnston has revealed they are all but out of the Mitch Marner sweepstakes, despite the veteran winger being exactly the type of player that would help them take a leap forward in the coming years.

While Johnston didn't mention Marner by name, he heavily alluded to the fact that the team want to be active but are unlikely to hand out a 'massive contract' to 'one player in particular', with most assuming that to be Marner.

Instead, they'll likely look to use the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to potentially land a talented young forward from another team, and after making a splash at the 2024 NHL Draft by landing Mikhail Sergachev, it makes sense that they could be looking to use the trade market instead to upgrade their team.

Beyond Marner, and assuming Sam Bennett remains in Florida, there aren't many big names available on the market, but with Utah having a strong core led by Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley among others, this summer could be the one they take a leap, so expect this front office to be aggressive even if it's not to land Mitch Marner.