There's no bigger player on the market this offseason than Mitch Marner, and for good reason. Marner is coming off a 102-point season with the Maple Leafs and will have plenty of suitors for his services when free agency begins on July 1st. The Carolina Hurricanes will be one of those teams, especially after inquiring about him at the trade deadline.
Everything you hear this time of the year is purely guesswork, but there's plenty of talk about the Hurricanes going after Marner. It has been speculated that the Canes are willing to give him more than $14 million per season, which makes plenty of sense. The Hurricanes have the cap space and roster flexibility to be among the most aggressive pursuers.
Marner could wait until mid-July to decide
Every season, when the market opens, the floodgates crumble with several big signings. That might not be the case with Mitch Marner. TSN's Darren Dreger believes Marner could drag this out into the middle of July. He could buck the trend of quick decisions and take his time to decide where he'll make his next home.
Logistically, this makes plenty of sense. This is the toughest decision Marner has ever made. It's a life-altering choice, especially when you have a newborn child and have only called one city home during your NHL career. With most of the league interested in acquiring your services, there will be a lot of information to consider.
Can the Hurricanes afford to wait?
The possibility of Marner waiting to decide puts the Hurricanes in a tough spot. I strongly believe that he is the type of player the Hurricanes need to get over the hump. However, they can't wait for Marner's decision. There are excellent players available this year. The Canes are expected to be proactive. Waiting would not be wise, especially with the chance that Marner signs elsewhere.
Even if they do wait for Marner's decision, it doesn't mean they won't be just as aggressive in pursuing other free agents. There's also a chance that other teams will wait for Marner to make the call. This rumor could force teams to be patient and not jump head-first into free agency. That's probably just wishful thinking, though.
Of course, there's a chance Dreger's report isn't true and Marner makes his decision on July 1st, or soon after, making all of this null and void. Regardless, the Hurricanes' offseason will not be judged a success or failure based on whether they sign Mitch Marner. If they put all of their eggs in Marner's basket and come up empty, that would be harder to defend.