Mitch Marner's fate with the Colorado Avalanche has been confirmed
Photo credit: (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Colorado Avalanche needs to make some key adjustments to their roster, but targeting this Toronto Maple Leafs' forward would be a major misstep.
It's that time of year when rumours start flying about player-team connections. One name being tied to the Colorado Avalanche, despite their tight salary cap, is Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner.
The Colorado Avalanche need to stay away from pending free agent Mitch Marner.
There's no denying the appeal of bringing in a player like Marner. At just 28, he's still in his prime and has the potential to contribute roughly 30 goals a season, as he's done at times during his nine years with the Maple Leafs. Granted, he's only hit the 30-goal mark twice, but he's hovered around that range, writes Graham Tiedtke from Mile High Sticking.
"The Colorado Avalanche are in a little bit of a pickle when it comes to their contract situations. They traded away Mikko Rantanen during the season, but still are projected to have just $8.70 million to work with for the 2025-26 NHL season. When it comes to the NHL, cost-friendly contracts aren't that uncommon. However, there are other things to take into consideration." -Tiedtke
Given the team's looming cap constraints, re-signing forward Brock Nelson may be unlikely. While there's a chance the Avalanche retain defenseman Ryan Lindgren and Erik Johnson, the one player they seem most eager to bring back is forward Joel Kiviranta, who impressed by making the most of a significantly expanded role this season.
"I'm not opposed to the Avalanche adding potential superstar talent. If you're in a Stanley Cup window, which the Avalanche are, you have to fill holes that are left from departures. That's the issue right now for Colorado. They have too many holes and not enough money." -Tiedtke
That's where Marner comes into play.
A big concern with Marner is his underwhelming playoff goal production. Despite racking up 50 assists in 70 career postseason games, he's only managed 13 goals. For a player carrying his kind of salary, teams expect consistent scoring in the playoffs, and Marner hasn't delivered that reliably.
Marner has been earning $10,903,000 annually with the Maple Leafs since the 2020-21 season, and it's likely he'll be aiming to keep that high AAV in his next deal.
But for the Avalanche, that kind of salary just isn't feasible at the moment. Unless Marner unexpectedly chooses to take a short-term contract and test free agency again later, it's hard to see Colorado seriously pursuing him.
We'll have to wait and see what happens this summer.
Previously on Avalanche Insider
| POLL | ||
MAI 22 | 34 ANSWERS Mitch Marner's fate with the Colorado Avalanche has been confirmed Do you think the Colorado Avalanche should pursue Mitch Marner in free agency this summer? | ||
| yes | 11 | 32.4 % |
| no | 23 | 67.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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