NHL Free Agency: Blackhawks To Throw "A Lot" Of Money At Mitch Marner

The Chicago Blackhawks will have about $32 million in salary cap space this summer, and they intend to do USE IT. The Hawks are tired of the slow pace of their rebuild, and will be looking to super-charge it this offseason, which includes throwing "a lot" of money at Toronto Maple Leafs pending UFA Mitch Marner.

In his latest insider report on the Hawks, Mark Lazerus wrote in The Athletic under the subheading, "The Cavalry's Coming", that the obvious need for help in the Blackhawks' top-six is on the way... But how fast? He drops the name of Marner as a player that GM Kyle Davidson will most certainly be going after. But does that mean that the Leafs superstar would be willing to go along for the ride?

There’s certainly no guarantee Mitch Marner wants to come to Chicago regardless of how much money Davidson throws at him (and he will throw a lot of it at him).

Marner is expected to be able to command a contract on the open market of close to or at the $14 million AAV mark. The Hawks can get there.

And everyone knows that they desperately need to show Connor Bedard, ASAP, that they're serious about improving, if they want to keep the young face of their franchise. He's already being urged not to sign an extension until the Blackhawks can show him they are moving in the right direction. Can anyone think of a better way to accelerate Bedard's development than having Marner on his wing?

Chicago would have plenty of competition from other teams with wads of cash to throw at Marner as well, and names like the Carolina Hurricanes (who already made an attempt to trade for him), Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins have surfaced in rumors. And there will obviously be many more.

The big question is will he make it to July 1? The Maple Leafs would love to just re-sign Marner before it gets to that, but it won't happen before the end of the season, and then so much depends on what happens in the playoffs. Another early Toronto exit, and that could also spell an exit for Marner from his hometown.

This will certainly be the most intriguing situation to watch as we approach the start of free agency.