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Friedman Hints at Mitch Marner's Next Team After Rumours From Former Teammates Leak

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated Jun 15, 2025 4:44 PM ET

Mitch Marner is set to depart Toronto in free agency, and now two power house Western Conference teams are emerging as favourites to land him.

The Toronto Maple Leafs failed to go deep in the Stanley Cup Playoffs again in 2025, and as a result of that, they appear set to lose a key piece of their lineup, as all signs are pointing to Mitch Marner departing his home town team in free agency.

We've heard plenty of speculation in recent times about his potential next destination, and now Elliotte Friedman has strongly hinted that his next team will be one in the Western Conference, with two favourites emerging for the 100-point scorer.

While Friedman notes that Toronto are still trying to engage Marner in discussions, he reveals that it's the Pacific Division duo of Vegas and Los Angeles that are most likely his latest team.

That report from Friedman comes from Marner's former teammates in Toronto, who have suspected that those are the two teams he's most intrigued by, and with both being genuine Stanley Cup threats, he'd be a great fit for either.

Now, the question becomes will Marner want to land with Jack Eichel as his top line centre or Quinton Byfield, both of which are fantastic choices, but for now, those are his two options despite significant interest from Chicago, San Jose, Utah and Anaheim.

Ultimately, this could change in a matter of days as well, and with free agency beginning on July 1st, no one quite knows where Marner will end up, but for now, it appears all but a guarantee that he'll be in the Western Conference next season.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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