Surprising West Team Named Top Landing Spot For Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner

The big fish on the open market in free agency is Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner. Marner is expected to have a large group of suitors this summer and is likely to draw a hefty contract.

Due to the high price tag of Marner, only a small handful of teams will be serious in the pursuit. But adding Marner could be a game-changer for whichever team wins the sweepstakes for his services.

There have been plenty of teams linked with him already, but one team has been named a top landing spot for the Maple Leafs star. That would be the Los Angeles Kings, who came atop the ranking for Austin Nivison of CBS Sports.

"The Kings are coming off a fourth consecutive first-round playoff loss to the Edmonton Oilers. The biggest reason for those failures? A lack of dynamic offensive weapons at the top of the lineup. Marner would solve that in a hurry. He's capable of being a 30-goal scorer and a 100-point player, which is something Los Angeles hasn't had in a long time. Perhaps more importantly, he also gels with the Kings' commitment to defense as a strong two-way forward who can kill penalties," Nivison wrote.