Buzz at the NHL GM Meetings is Mikko Rantanen take himself off the free agent market has really ratcheted up the recruiting efforts from teams behind the scenes in trying to set the stage months in advance of getting a seat at the table this summer for Mitch Marner. A major beneficiary of Rantanen signing in Dallas when a lot of the league believed prior to the New Year that he was more likely than not to test the open market, is Sam Bennett whose stock is really rising. Making $5 million in salary this season, the expectation is Bennett could command as high as $8-$9 million on the market which has prompted the Florida Panthers to make an effort to try to lock him down before seasons end. Chatter this week at the GM Meetings is the Philadelphia Flyers plan a major run at Bennett and have him tabbed as their top target.
On Marner, if he decides to leave Toronto and the agent loves taking his guys to free agency, Marner’s going to have opportunities to reset the top-tier winger market from $12 million neighborhood to $13-$14 Million. Nearly 20 NHL teams as of right now have over $20 million in cap space for next season. This is just unchartered waters for free agents during the Salary cap era.
The Metropolitan Division is quite intriguing as it’s more of a question who’s not going to pursue Marner than who is:
2025-2026 Cap Space in the Metro
Columbus Blue Jackets – $43 Million
Carolina Hurricanes – $36 Million
New York Islanders – $29 Million
Philadelphia Flyers – $27.5 Million
Pittsburgh Penguins – $26 Million
Washington Capitals – $23 Million
New Jersey Devils – $15 Million
New York Rangers – $11 Million
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Carolina hasn’t been shy of leaking (something that has irked the Leafs org) they tried to trade for Marner at the deadline in what league executives feel is a clear recruiting effort to get the word out now to the Marner camp that they plan a big pursuit in free agency, while the worst kept secret in the league is the New York Islanders are planning a run at Marner and believe they will get strong consideration. Who will be the others in the Metro:
Pittsburgh has yet To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
Who else in the Metro is primed to make a run at Marner?
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Washington is considered highly unlikely to pursue Marner, while the Flyers have the cap space and plan to be more aggressive, but few see the fit.
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NHL Executive names Best Fit in the Metro for Marner 
Best Fit: “New York Islanders”
Buzz: ‘On the ice and off the ice’, the Eastern Conference executive pegged the New York Islanders as a “stealth” team To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
Franchise that would benefit the most from signing Marner: “PTo read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
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