3 Teams That Could Reportedly Drop Big Money On Marner

A lot points to Mitch Marner becoming a free agent on July 1 and choosing where he wants to play next. It may very well be a bidding war for him as he is the top free agent this year. David Pagnotta reported that teams like the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Columbus Blue Jackets may be willing to drop big money on Marner.

Those three teams mentioned all have plenty of cap space and are looking to get into contention sooner than later. San Jose is a little behind considering they finished 32nd in the league, but their young players are also very skilled and they have another top pick.

For a team to pick up Marner will be costly, but it is the elite addition that a team needs to boost them up at least enough to win a lot more games and get into the playoffs immediately or much sooner. He finished this season with 27 goals and 102 points, the third time in the last four years he's put up 97+ points.

The Ducks are set down the middle, but need that impactful winger to put them over the top. Even without a major addition like Marner, they were already projecting to be a lot better. The young team took good strides this season and have a well rounded team.

The Sharks have young players like Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Sam Dickinson, and William Eklund, so complementing that with Marner who can boost all of them up offensively and defensively would be a major gain for them.

The Blue Jackets were very close to the playoffs and have a good young team as well. An elite winger isn't the first thing they need, but would only help them. While there are a couple of good veterans up front, he would instantly be the best regular season forward on the team at the very least. The Blue Jackets aren't just looking to get back in the playoffs, they need to do some damage once they get there for the first time in their franchise's history.