Utah Mammoth Emerge as Top Contender for Superstar Mitch Marner

Toronto Maple Leafs pending UFA forward Mitch Marner will have no shortage of options to choose from this summer, but will the Utah Mammoth be one of them?

The Toronto Maple Leafs may very well be losing a famed member of their 'Core 4' of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares this summer.

Both Marner and Tavares are pending UFA's, and while Tavares has openly said that he hopes to be back with the Maple Leafs on a new contract, speculation isn't as strong that Marner will return.

Per a recent report from James Mirtle of The Athletic, the Utah Mammoth (recently renamed from the Utah Hockey Club) are emerging as a surprise potential contender to try and lure Marner away from Toronto.

I hesitated to put Utah here, as Marner will most likely want to go to a contender and the Mammoth didn't even make the playoffs. (In fact, this group has qualified only once in the last 13 years, dating back to the Coyotes years.) But they're certainly well-positioned to take a big step given their youth movement and all their cap space. If charismatic new owner Ryan Smith can put on a good sell job, perhaps Marner decides to take a chance on an up-and-coming team rather than a sure thing? It certainly would be a quieter media environment out near the Wasatch Range.