The off-season is near, the final four is under, and we are close to hitting the pinnacle of the NHL season. Every season, when a team gets eliminated, speculation regarding the future of the team and the players on it begins. No team has been in the spotlight more than the Toronto Maple Leafs. They were embarrassed once again in the playoffs by the Florida Panthers.
Since the Leafs were eliminated, all the talk has been about one player. Mitch Marner and his future with the team as a pending unrestricted free agent. He once again failed to live up to his paycheque when it mattered most. He and his captain, Auston Matthews, completely vanished when the Leafs needed them the most.
With Marner set to hit the market—and he has made it pretty clear that’s what he is intending on doing—speculation has already begun on where he may sign come July 1. Reports have already begun to come out that the Calgary Flames will be in on the Marner sweepstakes, but with the team in a rebuilding phase and not close to contending, it would be a huge mistake for Calgary to pursue Marner this off-season.
Marner’s price tag will be hefty, and will not be worth it
It will come as no shock to anyone that Marner will command top dollar when he hits the open market come July 1. He is coming off his best season to date and has roughly been a 90-point player since inking his last contract back in 2019. His regular seasons have been fantastic, really, his whole career. He is dynamic, skilled, and does push the pace offensively while being very good defensively. Even as a smaller player, he has been able to dominate, and that is nothing to scoff at.
However, there are a couple of factors that have played into Marner’s dominance, and why it may not be the best idea to sign him. His first 90+ point season came the minute the Leafs signed John Tavares in 2018. Before then, Marner was a nice, 60-point winger who had some flaws. It really is not a coincidence that once a then-elite centre arrived, Marner saw success.
Since then, Marner has been stapled to either Tavares or Matthews, two elite players in their own right. I would imagine if the Flames were to bring Marner in, his point totals would drop significantly since he wouldn’t have an elite centre to play with. Does that sound familiar to a certain high-paid winger already on the roster, Flames fans?
Marner doesn’t show up in the big moments
The biggest red flag to bringing on Marner would be his performance in the playoffs. Every single season since Marner came into the league, he has vanished when the playoffs started. The biggest time of the year, and every year, the same story would play out. The going would get tough, and Marner would disappear.
He loses puck battles, gets stripped too easily, doesn’t shoot, and is too scared to make plays, often resulting in the opponent taking advantage of him. Just take a look at this graphic from his most recent series against the Panthers; it is, well, not great.
Which Toronto Maple Leafs forwards created the most 5v5 offence in round 2 against Florida? #LeafsForever Chance Contribution Rankings (per AllThreeZones): pic.twitter.com/YkPKCDvqoA
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) May 22, 2025
It has been like this for nine years, no goals in any of the Game 7s he has played in, and the same act year after year. For a player that is going to command maybe $13 or $14M per year on his next contract, that is a major reason to stay away from this player. He will not be worth it.
Why Marner is not a fit in Calgary
Marner makes no sense from a fit perspective at this point for the Flames. As I mentioned, the Flames are still in a rebuild or retool phase despite missing the playoffs by one point. They are still a long way from becoming a contender, and adding Marner would not change that. Could the Flames use the high-end skill of a player like Marner? Sure. However, that is someone they need to get during the draft, not someone who will be 29 when next season begins.
They already have Jonathan Huberdeau on the books for a long time at a huge cap hit. We all know how that contract has aged since it was signed in the summer of 2022. It would not shock me if Marner’s next deal ages the same way. He would go from playing alongside one of the best centres in Matthews to a soon-to-be 35-year-old Nazem Kadri. No disrespect to Kadri, but he and Matthews are not on the same level. Marner’s production is almost a sure bet to drop without Matthews next to him.
Would Marner help the Flames get closer to the playoffs? Maybe, I don’t really know. I do know for certain that if the Flames were to get in with Marner, he would be a non-factor in trying to win that series with his track record over the past nine years. The Flames don’t need to spend that much money on Marner. They don’t need this player at this point in time for where the team is. If anything, this would keep the Flames in the mediocre state they are already in: not good enough to win and not bad enough to bottom out.
It would be a resounding no on my side when it comes to bringing in Marner.
Save the cap space, continue to get younger
All in all, I would think Marner has played his last game in Toronto. It is really funny that in a three-year span, Brad Treliving will lose both Johnny Gaudreau and Marner for nothing to the free agent market. Nothing makes me happier than seeing Treliving lose these days.
Marner does not fit the team’s window, and if and when the Flames are ready to contend again, he would be in his declining years as a player, making way too much money. It is not worth the drama and the headache that Marner and his camp would bring to the Flames. It is just not the right move at this time.
The Flames are going to be better served, saving the cap space and continuing to make the roster younger while acquiring assets that will help them in future drafts to acquire the talent they need to accelerate this rebuild forward. The only way to build a true contender is through the draft, and I hope Craig Conroy will think the same way as he enters the summer.
