Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner looks like he’s heading to the open market in less than a month, and there’s going to be plenty of teams lining up to try and sign him long-term.

Teams like the Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, San Jose Sharks, and Chicago Blackhawks have all been rumoured as possible landing spots. But could the Columbus Blue Jackets actually be in the mix for him?

The short answer is yes. Columbus is a playoff-hopeful team, and the smaller media spotlight could be something that helps attract Marner. He’s dealt with a lot of pressure in Toronto, and a quieter market might be exactly what he’s looking for. Plus, they can use their young core — guys like Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, and Denton Mateychuk — to show him the kind of group he’d be joining.

They can make the money work too. The Blue Jackets are projected to have $42 million in cap space for the 2025-26 season. Marner is expected to land a deal around $13 million AAV over seven years, which would still leave Columbus with $29 million to spend elsewhere.

That would give them more than enough room to address defense and forward depth if needed. So it makes a ton of sense for both sides. Columbus has the cap space, a strong young group, and most importantly, Marner could be a 100+ point guy for them.

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