Remember last summer when the Vegas Golden Knights and Mitch Marner were linked in numerous reports? It was after Jonathan Marchessault toot-scoot boogie'd his way to Nashville with Steven Stamkos to play for the Predators. The premise? Get a top-line winger alongside Jack Eichel.
The premise had some merit, mind you. Marner regularly flirted with 100 points during his Toronto Maple Leafs tenure. Eichel was due for a breakout season anytime soon. The match? It would've been made for heaven.
After all, people said that Eichel couldn't perform under the bright lights. Lo and behold, he scored 10 goals and 33 assists in 40 career playoff games. If the center could prove his critics wrong, why can't Marner? Perhaps it's time for the "Core Four" member to show the world he's more than his 13 goals and 50 assists in 70 career playoff games...
...Except the mood has shifted in the room. They're shifting toward others, such as the Los Angeles Kings and New York Islanders. However, one constant has remained the same and that's the Golden Knights being involved. TSN's Darren Dreger named Vegas as a possibility for the frustrated winger.
"I'm thinking that Marner wants to also win in the process. And the team I keep coming back to is the Vegas Golden Knights, and they are going to, if they're going to be a big game hunter in the Marner sweepstakes, they've got to move money, that's pretty obvious."TSN's Darren Dreger
Is it worth pursuing Mitch Marner?
In many instances, yes. Some people will point to Marner's postseason absence as a problem. However, have the Maple Leafs made it out of the second round in the past decade? The Golden Knights can attest they've done this four different times.
On top of that, they've made two Stanley Cup Finals and won a Stanley Cup. You can't say the same for a team that has gone through a dry spell, dating back to 1967.
Plus, the Edmonton Oilers aren't going away anytime soon. It's likely they re-sign Connor McDavid (barring an all-time blunder from Stan Bowman) and will remain a consistent force. Why not add another prominent offensive weapon, especially with the philosophy expected to change next season?
There are some drawbacks to signing Mitch Marner
While signing a megastar to accompany Eichel sounds nice and all, there are some drawbacks. For one, Kelly McCrimmon's top priority will be Eichel himself. The team stated they were focused on making him a franchise staple for years to come.
Also, let's go back to the McDavid discourse for a second. Sure, the Golden Knights are already strong down the middle. But which team wouldn't want to add the best player in the league? If Bowman doesn't re-sign arguably the league's best player, it could be too sweet of a deal to pass up.
That's something McCrimmon wouldn't pass up, considering the salary cap will be at $104 million. According to PuckPedia, he's projected to have over $32 million to work with for the 2026-27 season. That could mean hockey fans, especially in upper Alberta, will cry tears of anger if McDavid does get swooped up.
Overall, it's likely not to happen this offseason, given the priority list for McCrimmon. He might trade some players to free up space (looking at you, Nicolas Hague and Nicolas Roy). However, it might be worth waiting to see if the bigger fish are biting.