Where there is smoke, there is fire, and such has been the case lately for the Vegas Golden Knights in their pursuit of Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Mitch Marner.
Marner is undisputedly the big fish headed into free agency next month, and many teams will be in the running to secure the star winger’s signature. However, the Golden Knights have been one of the teams linked to Marner the most in recent weeks, suggesting serious interest between both sides. While landing Marner does mean general manager Kelly McCrimmon will have to shed salary to make room, landing an elite forward to pair with Jack Eichel could end up being too enticing for the Golden Knights to pass up.
If the Golden Knights are serious in their pursuit of Marner, their pitch could easily sway him towards heading out west this summer.
Vegas is one of four teams listed as a great fit for Marner.
According to The Athletic’s James Mirtle, the Golden Knights are listed as one of the teams that are the best fit for Marner in free agency.
“They’d have to find a way to shed salary, but when has that ever been a problem for Kelly McCrimmon and friends? The ultimate big-move team feels like they’ll find a way to be in on this one, and their bid would have the right ingredients of something Marner would be interested in,” wrote Mirtle.
The Golden Knights were not alone atop Mirtle’s list, as the Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings and Utah Mammoth were also considered great fits. All three would have their own reasons to bring Marner aboard and, in the case of the Hurricanes and Mammoth, they would not have to move out much money to fit his salary on to their books.
However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman did suggest that the Golden Knights tried to make a move for Marner last summer, suggesting that they would be in on the sweepstakes here.
“I do believe on some level last year that the Maple Leafs and Vegas talked about a trade,” said Friedman during a recent episode of his “32 Thoughts Podcast.” “And this was last summer, at some point. I think Vegas was interested in Marner; I think Toronto talked to them, but nobody has ever confirmed it.
One of the major reasons why a deal for Marner fell through was that Toronto wanted defenseman Shea Theodore to go the other way in a deal; Theodore signed a seven-year extension with the Golden Knights in October. There was also no guarantee Marner was interested in signing with Vegas long-term, and losing both him and Theodore would have dealt a considerable blow to the team’s Stanley Cup ambitions.
Now, however, the Golden Knights stand as one of the front-runners to land Marner, and how aggressive they are this month in clearing out cap room will go a long way towards proving or disproving the perceived interest.
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