Mitch Marner, the NHL’s highest-paid player: the Ducks are considering it

Published on: June 10, 2025

Within a month, we should know what uniform Mitch Marner will be wearing next fall. The Maple Leafs’ star forward, who becomes a free agent on July 1, is expected to leave Toronto and break the bank elsewhere.

It’s rare to see such a good player become a free agent… but all indications are that Marner will (unless his rights are traded before July 1 and he comes to an agreement with his new team).

Yesterday, our colleague Marc-Olivier Cook reported that the Ducks should be kept on their toes. There’s a lot of money to be spent in Anaheim, and adding a guy like Marner to such a promising core would be a big coup.

And this morning, James Mirtle (The Athletic) also mentioned the Ducks’ interest in Marner. He even went a step further… and talked big money for the forward:

The word on the street is that the Ducks will have the biggest offer, and it could go beyond Leon Draisaitl’s $14 million a year. – James Mirtle

The 9 most intriguing teams of NHL free agency: What I heard from a buzzy draft combine https://t.co/xII8nLutGQ

– The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) June 9, 2025

And what’s interesting is that Draisaitl’s $14 million a year is the highest annual salary in the NHL as of today. Connor McDavid, who can sign a contract extension as early as July 1 and will hit the independent market in a year’s time, is likely to reset the market in 13 months’ time… but before that happens, Marner could well become the highest-paid player on the Bettman circuit.

Nothing less.

Of course, no one is going to argue that Marner is the best player in the NHL. That said, that’s the advantage of testing the autonomy market (especially with the salary cap skyrocketing): it’s much easier to break the bank and pick up a huge contract.

It almost makes you wonder if Mikko Rantanen will regret not having been patient enough to test the market… because his contract in Dallas is likely to be far less lucrative than the one Marner will get.

Note that, according to Mirtle, it’s not only the Ducks who could make such an offer to Marner: the Los Angeles Kings are also in a situation where they could make such an offer… and we expect to see them be aggressive this summer.

He’ll have a lot of money on the table this summer, Marner. All that remains is to see where he wants to pursue his career.

Overtime

– This is weird.

First time I’ve seen this: Evander Kane, who isn’t among Oilers starters, is skating around during the pre-game introductions. pic.twitter.com/dq96gFiho8

– Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 10, 2025

– Do you agree?