Mitch Marner Reportedly Scratches One Specific Metro Team Off His Top Free Agency Options List

Mitch Marner looks like he will be hitting unrestricted free agency next month and has already crossed a Metropolitan team off of his list of potential destinations.

After a career year with the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring 27 goals and 102 points, Mitch Marner is set to hit the open market this summer. He will have no shortage of potential homes, as every single team in the NHL can benefit from signing Marner.

However, Marner holds all of the cards and can deny a team even if they make a compelling offer to bring him in. It appears as if he has already done so, reportedly not being interested in signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

'They would absolutely enter the Mitch Marner sweepstakes if invited to do so. But unless something changes, I don't think the Marner camp has Columbus on its list of preferred destinations. At least not so far.' - Pierre LeBrun

Columbus has notoriously had trouble attracting star talent and then retaining them when they get players among the best in the league. The Blue Jackets have had players like Matt Duchene, Artemi Panarin, Seth Jones, and Sergei Bobrovsky.

While it is a consistent story for the Blue Jackets, they are quietly building a strong team, particularly through the draft. With talents like Zach Werenski, Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, Kirill Marchenko, Denton Mateychuk, and Cayden Lindstrom all coming through the draft, the Blue Jackets have a bright future ahead of them.

With Columbus on the rise, one could understand why Marner would want to sign there but it appears he will be joining the countless other players who have overlooked Columbus for more flashy options around the league.