Ladies and gentlemen, the rumors are true. According to Pierre LeBrun, Mitch Marner is interested in joining the Vegas Golden Knights.
In fact, he's interested in only two teams: the Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers. The sound you just heard is the collective heads of all the "The NHL should do something about the teams living in no state income tax states" people melting.
Gee man. I knew Las Vegas had just hit 100 degrees already. But this is a new development that's melting the NHL.
The Golden Knights haven't been shy about expressing their interest in the Maple Leafs forward, either. Last offseason, he was a popular trade candidate linked to Vegas. Names such as Shea Theodore and Nicolas Roy were linked to Toronto in a possible trade.
However, that didn't materialize since Roy wasn't traded and Theodore was handed a shiny new contract extension. Still, that doesn't mean it wouldn't be a bad signing. In fact, there are three reasons why it makes sense (and one BIG reason why it doesn't).
1.) Golden Knights fans remember the dialogue surrounding Jack Eichel
Remember when hockey fans said that Jack Eichel wasn't a team player and wouldn't do well with the Golden Knights? They thought he destroyed the Buffalo Sabres locker room and couldn't cooperate with anybody?
Boy, after watching him win a Stanley Cup and set career-highs in assists (66) and points (94) certainly changes one's perspective. It took a change of scenery for the former second-overall pick to turn that narrative upside down.
That narrative could also change for Marner, who's notorious for not being the best postseason performer. This postseason was a productive one for the Maple Leafs winger, for he had 13 points in 13 games. However, that hasn't always been the case, where he's scored one goal or fewer in seven of nine postseason appearances.
But here's the catch. The Maple Leafs have only made the second round twice in the past decade. Compare that to the Golden Knights, who've made the Stanley Cup Final twice and won a title. Who do you think will provide a better environment for Marner?
More importantly, which country does Marner prefer? According to Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff, it's not Canada.