With the NHL Draft and free agency fast approaching, the league is buzzing with activity, and no name is generating more speculation than Mitch Marner. While teams prepare for the draft, there is widespread debate about where the top free agent will end up.

The Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights are perceived by many as frontrunners to land the coveted star forward. On the latest episode of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said there’s a lot of buzz around what the Golden Knights may do.

“I think there's a lot of people just wondering about, is Vegas the team to beat here? “If you ask most people about Marner and where they think, you know, a lot of people are kind of like, they think, rightly or wrongly, they think that Vegas is the team to beat.”

The 28-year-old Marner is an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and is coming off a six-year deal that paid him an average annual value of $10.9 million per season. Marner just completed his first 100-point season in 2024-25, scoring 27 goals while adding 75 assists.

While it’s been reported that Marner had been asked to waive his no-movement clause last season for a deal to Carolina, Vegas’ interest seems to get louder and louder as free agency approaches. The Golden Knights only have $9.615 million in salary cap space, according to PuckPedia.com, but that hasn’t stopped the organization from making bold moves to get the players they want. There’s also some reported concern about defenseman Alex Pietrangelo’s ability to play next season, which could be a mechanism to clear an additional $8.8 million. If Marner joined the Golden Knights, he would instantly become their top-paid player, surpassing forward Jack Eichel’s $10 million annual average contract.

Mitch Marner Reportedly Asked To Waive Trade Protection For Carolina Hurricanes Before the Carolina Hurricanes <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/shortUrl/uq73UUG" target="_blank">traded Mikko Rantanen to the Dallas Stars</a>, they apparently had conversations with the Toronto Maple Leafs surrounding winger Mitch Marner.

In addition to Carolina and Vegas, the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, and Utah Mammoth have been reported as other possible destinations for Marner. As for his staying in Toronto, that likelihood seems to diminish by the day.

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