Exciting development in Mitch Marner connection to Vegas

The Vegas Golden Knights are firmly in the hunt for Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Mitch Marner, but they have been projected to have to fight off many teams for his services on July 1.

Teams like the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks and Carolina Hurricanes have circled Marner as a target, with each offering some type of advantage. However, with defenseman Alex Pietrangelo a possibility to head to long-term injured reserve and trade rumors regarding the likes of defenseman Nic Hague and forward Ivan Barbashev, the Golden Knights can make the cap space necessary to fit Marner’s projected $12-13 million annual salary. All that matters is that Vegas can put together a convincing pitch that convinces Marner to take his talents to the Fortress.

According to a prominent NHL insider, the Golden Knights seem to have that part figured out.

Mitch Marner is a real possibility for the Golden Knights next season.

On Elliotte Friedman’s podcast “32 Thoughts,” the insider claims that the Golden Knights are emerging as a frontrunner to bring Marner to Vegas when free agency opens up on July 1.

“I think there’s a lot of people just wondering about, is Vegas the team to beat here? “If you ask most people about Marner and where they think, you know, a lot of people are kind of like, they think, rightly or wrongly, they think that Vegas is the team to beat,” Friedman said.

If Marner does sign along the dotted line for the Golden Knights, it would be the end of what has been a surprisingly long courtship between the two.

Rumors circulated that the Maple Leafs have attempted to trade Marner to Vegas twice, but they asked for defenseman Shea Theodore and center William Karlsson in the separate deals. Theodore signed a seven-year extension with the Golden Knights in October to close that door, while the team has been adamant that Karlsson is not up for trade discussions. However, the possibility of trading Marner’s signing rights to Vegas does still exist.

However, the benefit of that deal may not be something Marner has interest in.

According to reports, Marner does not feel pressured in signing with a team right away on July 1, which would leave the Golden Knights frustrated by acquiring a player and not getting a deal done. Also noteworthy is that Marner is considering signing a deal between two or four years instead of the maximum seven or eight. This way, Marner has the option of re-entering free agency still in his physical prime, setting up one more massive payday before reaching the back half of his career.

Regardless of what is really going on with Marner and his camp, the Golden Knights do not appear to be deterred to add another superstar to their ranks.