There's no denying the fact that Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Mitch Marner is going to be the highest paid free agent this offseason.

After nine years in the NHL's biggest market, it seems like things have reached a breaking point between the player and organization and the 28 year old will be hitting the open market.

Tons of teams are going to be interested in acquiring the talented forward and it's no secret that Carolina is going to be one of them.

For one, it was reported that the Hurricanes initially tried to acquire Marner at this year's trade deadline.

The 28-year-old winger was asked to waive his no-trade clause as part of a potential deal for Mikko Rantanen, but he refused, wanting to finish out the season with the Maple Leafs.

So, again, it's clear that Carolina is interested.

What Does Marner Bring?

Marner has been one of the league's top scorers for years now.

Since 2020, Marner ranks seventh in the entire league in points and the winger has broken 90 points four times in his career, and is coming off a career season in which he had 102 points in 81 games.

He's one of the league's premier passers, but more than that, he's also a tremendous two-way player too, having received Selke votes in seven straight years as well.

Marner is an incredibly smart player who is able either slow the game down or keep things up to speed at will. He can read plays, transition the puck and has a knack for finding the open guy.

Even if he doesn't seem like the prototypical Hurricanes player, I'd argue that he's already shown he can fit into a system similar to the way the Canes play.

Toronto coach Craig Berube implemented a more direct style for the Maple Leafs this season and even utilized Marner in a more defensively-minded role as well. And even with all that, Marner was still able to have a career year.

There's no doubt in my mind that Marner, even without the benefit of Auston Matthews at his side, would be a an excellent addition to the Hurricanes to not only boost their offense, but also complement them with his strong two-way game.

One of the biggest knocks on Marner has been the fact that he's not the most physical player, standing at 6-foot and only 180 pounds, and has categorized as "soft."

That narrative has also been helped along by a perception that he's struggled to be a difference maker in the postseason, but I'd argue that doesn't hold as much water either.

In 70 postseason games, Marner has 13 goals and 63 points.

If we break that down further to potential "clutch" games — either potential clinching or elimination games — the winger still comes out pretty good.

In 25 potential advancement games, Marner has two goals and 16 points and in 16 games facing elimination, Marner has two goals and 12 points. 

But it's those ultimate games, the winner takes all moments, that he has struggled the most as in seven Game 7s, Marner has just two assists to his name.

So that makes the narrative a little more apparent, at least to me, but still, I'd take a guy routinely putting up points any day of the week, especially given Carolina's need for more top-end talent.

Why Might Marner Choose Carolina?

At this stage in his career, Marner is looking for three things: a comfortable place to live and raise a family, a significant payday and a chance to win a Stanley Cup.

Carolina offers all three.

Dozens of players over the years have made North Carolina home from the long-term icons to even players who only appeared for a season or two.

The state offers comfortable, family-friendly living in a place with good weather (all four seasons), close proximity to both the beach and the mountains, an international airport, tons of restaurants, tons of top-notch golf courses, friendly people and a much less invasive and critical sect of media. 

In addition, Marner played alongside Seth Jarvis at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, and the pair were part of the championship team together.

After the tournament, Jarvis had a glowing review of Marner.

"He's amazing," Jarvis told TSN reporter Mark Masters. "He's an incredible person. A lot of fun to hang out with. We grew a good friendship. It was fun just to be around him."

Had Jarvis perhaps already planted some seeds on a potential reunion?

The Hurricanes are also one of the few teams who can really offer the star winger what he's looking for.

The Canes have over $28 million in cap space to work with this season and can easily fit Marner's potentially record-setting cap hit.

There have been rumors floated around that some teams are preparing to offer Marner over $14 million on a seven-year deal and while that may seem high, it isn't really that crazy for his value and with the rising cap.

AFP Analytics has Marner's projected cap hit at approximately $13 million on a seven-year deal and The Athletic's Dom Luszczyszyn has Marner's market value at $12.5 million.

Finally, Carolina is a team positioned to win it all.

They have a strong core with good coaching and they've not only won at least a playoff round each year, but have also been to the Eastern Conference Final three times in that span.

They just need that little something extra to push them over the edge and Marner very well could be that answer.

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