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Mitch Marner's Teammates Just Dropped a Major Hint About His Next Team
John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Mitch Marner's teammates with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who may not be his teammates much longer, dropped a major hint about his next destination.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are likely preparing for life without forward Mitch Marner, who has spent his entire NHL career with the franchise but is likely moving on after Toronto's latest failure to make a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Marner won't have any shortage of options to choose from over the summer, though where he lands remains the subject of speculation and debate.

Top NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman stated recently on his '32 Thoughts' podcast that Marner's current Maple Leafs teammates suspect that he'll be heading somewhere out West.

I know some of his teammates have suspected, Leafs teammates have suspected, that Marner is going to go West.

Teams included in the Marner discussion in recent weeks have been the Anaheim Ducks, Vegas Golden Knights, Utah Mammoth and Los Angeles Kings.

Friedman also said that Marner could actually surprise fans and sign a shorter-term deal in the same way that Auston Matthews has done with the Leafs.

People believe LA is very interested, people believe that Vegas is a team to watch, if not the team to watch. I'll tell you something else, there was a rumor going around this week a few teams heard that Marner may not be looking to sign a 7-year deal in free-agency, that he might look at a 4-year deal and then go for another one, kind of the way that (Auston) Matthews has done throughout his career.

Marner reached a new career-best 102 points (27G, 75A) this year but managed only a single assist in Toronto's final 4 postseason games in their ECSF loss to the divisional foe Florida Panthers.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

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