After a 102-point regular season, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Martin proved to be one of the better players in the NHL once again.
Unfortunately for the Maple Leafs, that ended in the same way that it has for much of the team's existence, losing in a disappointing series in the second round of the Eastern Conference Stanley Cup playoffs.
Marner now has a decision to make, as he’s set to hit the free agency market this summer. Clearly the top player available, many believe he could be looking at one of the biggest contracts in NHL history.
The expectation is for him to leave the Maple Leafs, with many teams likely to show interest. And according to a recent report from Elite Prospects, one of the teams that could be interested in him is the Florida Panthers, the best team in the NHL.
“There’s real smoke that the Florida Panthers could be gearing up to make a run at Marner. Word is that Toronto has opened the door to a sign-and-trade scenario, where they ink Marner to a max-term extension (eight years) and then flip him to recoup some level of value,” they wrote.
The Panthers have proven over the past few years that they're willing to do whatever it takes to win a Stanley Cup. That's resulted in them being the best team in the league by a wide margin, as they look poised to win another cup during the 2025 season.
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If they want Marner and he's willing to take a contract there, it makes plenty of sense to add another star talent like this. While he's struggled in the postseason at times, playing with the Panthers should make things much easier for the former fourth overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft.