Former NHL assistant general manager Steve Werier believes Mitch Marner will leave the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency.
Werier served as an assistant GM of the Florida Panthers from 2016 until 2017 and is now an NHL analyst for PuckPedia. The former NHL executive believes Marner is in his final days with Toronto and predicts he will leave in free agency to sign with the San Jose Sharks.
“I think there’s two directions (Sharks GM Mike) Grier can go from here,” Werier wrote. “The first is to fill out next year’s roster with a bunch of lower-tier veteran free agent and cap dumps from other clubs, farm for picks at another deadline, and hope to end up with another lottery pick and a shot at Gavin McKenna in the 2026 Draft. That’s conservative. It could work. It’s boring.
“The other direction is to go all in this summer and break open the competitive window right now, understanding that the best way to build around Celebrini & Smith is to add more players like Celebrini and Smith. To do that the Sharks could attack on two fronts: sign a transformational free agent like Mitch Marner… I think it will land them Marner,” Werier added.
Werier believes the Sharks will look to add a legit superstar to pair with their young core of Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith and believes Marner would make the most sense.
Marner is in the final year of his six-year, $65.41 million deal with the Maple Leafs.
Marner Not Talking Extension Talk With Maple Leafs
Despite being in the final year of his deal, Marner is not talking about an extension.
Marner says the focus is on the season and the playoffs. But, despite all the speculation around him, Marner says his focus is on the season.
“Like I talked to you guys, man, I’m not gonna get into any of this contract stuff,” Marner said. “I’ve been very grateful, and I’ve loved my time being a Leaf. So, I’ll leave it with you guys. And we got 20 games left here that aren’t going to be easy. We got to make sure we just keep our foot down on the gas here and give ourselves the best position to go into playoffs.”
Marner has been a key player for the Maple Leafs this season. He’s leading the team in points as he has recorded 22 goals and 67 assists for 89 points in 71 games.
Sharks Plan to Add Talent in Offseason
San Jose enters the offseason with plenty of cap room and could be a team to watch.
With Celebrini and Smith still on their entry-level deals, it allows the Sharks to make a splash in the offseason. Grier expects to be active to try and make San Jose a more competitive team.
“I don’t know if aggressive is the right word, but we’re definitely going to try and be active and add talent to our group,” Grier said. “I’m not going to just step on the gas completely, as when we talked in January, and end up having buyer’s remorse on things and overpaying guys grossly with term and money. We’ll definitely be going to bring guys in and try and build. I don’t think aggressive is the right word, but we will be active.”
The Sharks have over $40 million in cap space this offseason.
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