Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner is expected to be the hottest name on the open market this summer. Marner is projected to receive a massive payday in free agency, and this could see a bidding war ensue for his services.
But due to the high price tag that he will command, there may only be a few teams that are truly serious in the pursuit. Marner can check a lot of boxes for interested teams, but only one will be able to win the sweepstakes.
Notably, a three-time Stanley Cup champion just absolutely blasted the notion that Marner should reset the market.
According to NHL insider James Mirtle of The Athletic, there may be four teams that could have an upper hand in the free agency. The Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks and Utah Mammoth are expected to offer Marner the highest bids.
James Mirtle: Anaheim, Chicago, San Jose, Utah could put massive Draisaitl or higher level contracts in front of Marner - TSN 1050
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 12, 2025
Each of these teams is seen as a lower-tiered team, and it remains unknown if Marner would be willing to play for a non-contender. But out of these four, the Ducks and Mammoth are likely closest to becoming a contender.
Anaheim brought in veteran Joel Quenneville to be the new head coach, giving this team more credibility. The Ducks also pulled off a high-profile trade this week.
Utah has a star in Clayton Keller, who could pair well with Marner. The Mammoth is also entering its inaugural season, so Marner could be part of a new historic start in Utah.
When free agency opens, there could be a run on Marner. The star forward isn't likely to stay in Toronto and will be heading elsewhere this summer.
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In an effort to extend his NHL career, veteran winger Conor Sheary has agreed to a professional tryout (PTO) with the New York Rangers, per the NY Post’s Mollie Walker. Sheary has played in 593 games throughout his 10-year career, posting 124 goals and 267 points. He has also shown an ability to elevate his game in big moments during the playoffs, as evidenced by his contributions to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ back-to-back Stanley Cup wins early in his career, when he often played a key role alongside Sidney Crosby. Notably, some of his best professional seasons came in Pittsburgh under head coach Mike Sullivan. After signing a five-year deal in May to lead the Rangers, Sullivan is bringing in a familiar face as he looks to implement a new game plan in New York. However, Sheary has struggled in recent years. After producing just 15 points in 57 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2023-24 season—his lowest output since his rookie year—he dressed in only five games last season with the team. He spent the majority of his year with Tampa’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, where he produced 20 goals and 61 points in 59 games. Sheary, 33, will now look to rejuvenate his career with the Rangers, a team in the midst of transition. Beyond the obvious changes that come with a new head coach, the team has also seen longtime staples Chris Kreider and K’Andre Miller depart, while adding forward Taylor Raddysh and prospect Carey Terrance. While PTOs are anything but guaranteed, Sheary’s history of producing quality offense, combined with his relationship with Sullivan, should give him a strong chance to make the opening night roster.
The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders special treatment in training camp, but it's not the type of favoritism the fifth-round pick would necessarily want. Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Sanders is the only Browns quarterback who has not been taking reps with the first-team offense during OTAs or the first two practices of training camp. Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel have all split reps with the first team. Despite being asked to throw passes to members of the equipment staff amid a shortage of professional pass-catchers for a four-quarterback roster, Sanders said he's thankful for the opportunity to show the Browns coaching staff his talents. "I feel like that it's not in my control, so I'm not going to think about that or even have that in my thought process of why it is," Sanders said to a question as to why he's not getting first-team reps. "There's a lot of people who want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I'm here and I'm thankful to have the opportunity. So, whenever that is, that is." Sanders, 23, believes that he can contribute more to the Browns than what the coaching staff is asking of him. "It doesn't make me feel down or left out because I know who I am as a person," Sanders said. "I know who I am as an individual and I know what I could bring to this team. So, I can never feel less than any circumstance." The Browns selected Sanders with the No. 144 pick in April's draft. As a player whom many draft analysts thought was a first-round talent, Cleveland took what could be the steal of the draft in the fifth round. It's curious why the Browns aren't giving Sanders a shot with the first team early in training camp before the quarterback race becomes more serious. Cleveland should absolutely see what Sanders has to offer this summer. Flacco, 40, isn't a long-term solution at the position. Pickett failed in Pittsburgh. The Browns need to gauge what rookies Gabriel and Sanders can do with the first team. Having Sanders throw balls to the equipment staff is a waste of everyone's time. But then again, Cleveland has wasted plenty of quarterbacks.
With the trade for Ryan McMahon now complete, it would seem New York Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman has fulfilled one of his three priorities. He can now cross third base off the list, which leaves the rotation and bullpen as his remaining priorities. However, according to one Yankees writer, Cashman might not be done with the infield. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reported this after the McMahon trade: “The Yankees may not be done adding to their infield. A team source said the Yankees are interested in adding a right-handed hitter who could play the infield.” Kirschner adds that the Yankees have had interest in Willi Castro and Amed Rosario. But the question now is, how would another player fit in the Yankees’ infield? Needless to say, Paul Goldschmidt and Jazz Chisholm Jr. aren’t going anywhere, and McMahon is just getting there. That leaves the low-hanging fruit. Anthony Volpe has been at the center of controversy all this season. His 13 errors, many of which had come at make-or-break moments, amount to the second-highest total in the game. In addition, his bat has not been able to compensate, hitting .214/.286/.407 with 14 home runs. There was always a lot to like about Volpe. He won a Gold Glove in his rookie year, his power has always been promising and his speed is nothing to scoff at. Unfortunately, his glove has become a liability and his speed has also produced very few results. Volpe has swiped just 10 bags in 17 attempts. His power is the one thing that still has some upside, but it hasn’t been enough to justify a spot in the lineup. Both Castro and Rosario have been far more productive at the plate this season than Volpe. Kirschner doesn’t clarify how serious the Yankees are in their pursuit of another infielder, but that most likely isn’t available information. Having just turned 24, Volpe could still become the type of player that was expected from him as a top prospect. However, his recent performance has weighed heavily on his team’s efforts and it may be buying him a ticket out of the Bronx — or at least a spot on the bench.
As this week’s SmackDown is in the rearview mirror now, there’s barely any time left for SummerSlam. It will take place at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on August 2nd and 3rd. Owing to its first-ever two-night format, WWE has loaded up the card for ‘The Biggest Party of the Summer’. The company has unveiled the match schedule to go down on Saturday and Sunday. The Saturday listing includes Gunther defending his World Heavyweight title against CM Punk. Competing for the first time since WrestleMania 41, Roman Reigns will join forces with Jey Uso against Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. In yet another tag team showdown slated for Saturday, Randy Orton and Grammy-winning artist Jelly Roll will square off against Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul. Also, Raquel Rodriguez Roxanne Perez will defend their women’s tag team titles against Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss. Tiffany Stratton is slated for her women’s title defense against Jade Cargill, along with Sami Zayn‘s trilogy-completing affair with Karrion Kross on night one. Speaking of what’s in store for Sunday, John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes 2 will be the highlight of that night. ‘The Cenation Leader’ will be tested in a street fight. Dominik Mysterio‘s Intercontinental title defense against AJ Styles and Solo Sikoa‘s US title defense against Jacob Fatu inside a steel cage are also set to go down on night two of SummerSlam. Becky Lynch will once again take on Lyra Valkyria in a No-Holds-Barred showdown for the women’s IC title belt. Moreover, Naomi will defend her women’s world title in a mouth-watering triple threat clash against Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley. Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match made official for SummerSlam The aforementioned match card for SummerSlam currently stands at 11 matches distributed over two nights. However, the fans can expect a few more additions in the meantime. On this week’s SmackDown, Andrade and Rey Fenix‘s tag team title pursuit against Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy of the Wyatt Sicks ended in heartbreak when Nikki Cross caused a disqualification. It ensued a spree of run-ins from the entire SmackDown tag team division with Fraxiom, Motor City Machine Guns, The Street Profits, and #DIY swinging at one another. General Manager Nick Aldis’s attempt to restore order went down in flames, and he eventually proceeded to make a massive announcement. Aldis informed that the Wyatts will defend their tag team gold against five other teams, as mentioned above, in a Six-Pack TLC match at SummerSlam. The fans in attendance went bonkers as soon as they heard it, and the involved teams couldn’t help but continue mauling each other. They’ll collide next weekend on the 25-year anniversary of the inaugural TLC match. It unfolded at SummerSlam 2000 with The Hardy Boyz, The Dudley Boyz, and Edge Christian setting the bar for their future generations to top. Does the current SmackDown tag division have what it takes to reset the bar? Time will tell. Rumor killer on The Rock’s current status for SummerSlam It’s clear as daylight that WWE is hellbent on making its debut two-night SummerSlam edition a roaring success. With almost every other match on the card given a stipulation to work with, the fans are excited for how they’d actually pan out. Also, some recent steam around The Rock‘s status for the show was also making the rounds on the internet. However, a report from BodySlam has debunked it by stating there’s no internal indication within WWE about The Final Boss’s comeback anytime soon. He skipped WrestleMania 41, and it caused Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena to end with Travis Scott‘s trickery written all over it. The rapper has reportedly had a major falling out with WWE, as per the latest reports. The core wrestling audience was berserk at his involvement in the Cena/Rhodes story. But Scott doesn’t seem likely to be inserted back, and neither does The Rock. The latter opted out of such a major angle after orchestrating it at the Elimination Chamber. It’s unknown if he’ll ever return to follow up on that.
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