Insider Reveals Updated Mitch Marner Free Agent Contract Request & Top 3 Destinations

The rumors have been flying fast and furious on what Mitch Marner will get on the free agent market. In particular, the $14 million AAV number has been thrown around often. But we've had some updates recently, including the notion that the Toronto Maple Leafs star of the last nine years could go the route of a shorter-term deal.

Now, insider Pierre LeBrun is reporting in The Athletic on a new update on this situation, with term and numbers revealed:

The rumor du jour — and it is very much that, as I’ve not confirmed it but have heard it now from two teams — is that one option Mitch Marner is considering is a two-year deal at around $12 million to $13 million per year, positioning him to hit the market again when the salary cap skyrockets to $113 million or higher in a couple of years.

Marner is 28, and with a two-year deal, would be eligible for another free agent windfall at the age of 30. There is risk to this type of strategy of course, that the player could suffer a serious or long-term injury, severely limiting his future earnings.

The salary cap is set to be $95.5 million for the coming season, then escalates to $104 million for the following season, and then a whopping $113.5 million for 2027-28. At that point, a 15% percentage of the cap (which is what superstar players usually receive) would see an AAV of over $17 million.

Which teams are the frontrunners to land Mitch Marner?

LeBrun goes on to list his Top 3 likely landing spots for Marner:

"The Vegas Golden Knights, the (Dallas) Stars and the (Los Angeles) Kings are among the teams that I believe are high on Marner’s list," wrote LeBrun. He adds that the eight-year, $96 million extension the Stars already gave to trade addition Mikko Rantanen at the trade deadline ($12M AAV), would make it pretty difficult for the Stars to shoehorn another massive contract of that amount into their cap structure, but stranger things have happened.

We learned earlier this month that Marner is definitely not coming back to the Leafs, and will be with a new club next season. There has also been a rumor that he might take his time to make his decision, maybe even a week or two after the July 1 date that Free Agency hits. Others are doubting that plan, however.