Should the Kraken pursue Mitch Marner if he becomes a free agent?

The Seattle Kraken answered one of their biggest offseason questions on Thursday when they announced that Lane Lambert had been hired to become the third head coach in franchise history. We expect Lambert to be formally introduced to the market next week, so we will surely have more coverage of the hiring coming down the pike, in addition to what John Barr published on Thursday. So, stay tuned for more on that front.

While we were waiting for that major personnel decision, we also got to thinking about how newly appointed general manager Jason Botterill can improve his team’s on-ice performance this offseason. Curtis Isacke laid out what he thinks should be the team’s top priorities in a fantastic piece from Wednesday, so give that a read if you haven’t.

In his end-of-season press conference, Botterill alluded to seeking more players (and a coach, for that matter) who can help the team get to the front of the net in the offensive end and do a better job of protecting that same area in the defensive zone. To us at Sound Of Hockey, this screams more Jaden Schwartz-types, but also younger.

Adding one or more players like that—a tall task in and of itself—should make the team more competitive, but it likely won’t be enough on its own. As has been the case since the team’s inception, there remains an obvious dearth of star power at the top of Seattle’s lineup. There still is no one player who can—when the chips are down—put the team on his back and go get the desperately needed goal, even when he’s not having his best night or the team looks like it’s skating in quicksand.

How do the Kraken get such a player? One route requires patience: drafting and developing. Seattle has drafted well over its first four years, and it is possible that a home-grown forward like Matty Beniers, Shane Wright, or Berkly Catton could grow into a star offensive producer. But if that comes to fruition for any of the three, it will still take at least a couple of years—and in the case of Catton, he’s likely four or more seasons from becoming a reliable scorer at the NHL level.

It’s no secret the organization wants to become competitive immediately, though, so how can the front office expedite its improvement? Well, the other routes are through trade, free agency, or the rarely executed offer sheet. The Kraken made a couple of splashy signings last summer in Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour, and they could look to do that again this summer. The free agent class is relatively thin, but it is buoyed by one big-time, elite winger highlighting the top of the group: Mitch Marner.

At face value, Marner doesn’t even really fit the mold of what the Kraken are purportedly looking for, but landing a player like him would instantly improve the offense. Could they do it? Should they? Let’s investigate.

Mitch Marner is a bona fide star

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a team in flux after they were bounced from the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in seven games. In 13 postseason games across two series, Marner was second on the team in scoring with 13 points (2-11=13), behind only William Nylander (6-9=15).

One would think that a hometown product who grew up idolizing the Leafs, led a star-studded roster during the regular season with a whopping 102 points (27-75=102), and then put up a point-per-game in the playoffs would have earned some grace from the Toronto fanbase.

Instead, as the Panthers embarrassed the Maple Leafs for the second time in three games, closing them out with a 6-1 spanking that left Toronto’s fans wanting back the thousands of dollars they spent on Game 7 tickets, Marner was booed. With his contract set to expire after the season, Marner—in what may end up being his final game for his beloved hometown team—was booed by the Maple Leafs fans.

Although Marner’s exit from the so-called “Center of the Hockey Universe” is still not a foregone conclusion—he could still end up re-signing there—calls for change in the market have led to Brendan Shanahan’s ouster as the team’s president, and a desire for a shakeup to the roster could very well lead to a divorce between Marner and the Leafs. Leafs GM Brad Treliving added some fuel to that speculation when he said in his season-end press conference that “there’s some DNA that has to change in our team” this offseason.

Despite the sentiments of the home crowd in Toronto, which seems to have grown tired of the “Core Four” of Auston Matthews, Nylander, Marner, and John Tavares falling short of their sky-high expectations, there is no denying that Marner is a superstar player who will immediately elevate the team that lands him this offseason (assuming he does move).

Marner, 28, was the fourth-overall pick of the Leafs in the 2015 NHL Draft. He quickly emerged as a budding star, scoring 61 points (19-42=61) as a rookie in 2016-17, the same season Matthews debuted and racked up 40 goals and 29 assists. Since then, Marner has done nothing but produce, averaging 1.13 points per game over nine seasons.

2024-25 was Marner’s first time breaching the 100-point mark in a season, though he hit 97 (35-62=97) and 99 (30-69=99) in 2021-22 and 2022-23. Fast, creative, and shifty, Marner—sometimes overshadowed by Matthews for his goal-scoring prowess—is a top talent in the NHL.

What would it take to land Marner?

With more than $20 million in projected cap space and the ability to create more if needed, the Kraken are well positioned to make an offer to Marner that could carry the largest average annual value in NHL history, somewhere in the seven-year, $14 million range. That would put him ahead of Matthews, who currently holds the highest annual salary at $13.25 million.

There’s also suddenly an obvious connection between Marner and the Kraken via the hiring of Lambert, who spent last season as an associate coach for the Leafs. We can’t help but wonder how Lambert’s relationship is with Marner…

The problem is that if Marner does hit the market when free agency opens on July 1, there are many teams in the NHL that will want his services and will be willing to pay out the nose to acquire them. Is Seattle a desirable destination for a player of Marner’s ilk? That remains to be seen. Without being able to position themselves as proven winners, Botterill and the Kraken front office would face an uphill battle in proving to Marner that their vision for the future is one that will bring him sustained success through what could be the remainder of his career.

While most in the NHL laud the Kraken facilities and organization as “first class,” will the massive dollars and promise of future wins (as opposed to past ones) be enough to lure Marner to move 2,500 miles across the continent?

Should the Kraken try to land Marner?

Bad decisions in free agency can kill a franchise and make a front office look silly for years, especially when we’re talking about the level of financial investment and salary cap commitment that Marner will require. Plus, is Marner even really a fit for Seattle? The team has more playmakers than goal scorers, and although Marner has scored 221 goals in his career, this is not his primary skill. He also doesn’t strike me as a guy who’s going to battle his way into the dirty areas at either end of the ice, something Botterill said he wants to focus on adding this offseason.

Those are some reasons why the Kraken may opt to pass on the theoretical Marner sweepstakes, if they even come to fruition. Yet, with all these things in mind, and even with the unlikelihood of Marner coming to the Pacific Northwest, we at Sound Of Hockey still think it’s worth a try.

Marner would be the best player to hit the open market since Artemi Panarin did in 2019, so if the Kraken want to sprinkle in elite talent and make a big step toward contention, this is the fastest way to do it. Mitch Marner types simply do not become available.

What say you, folks? Would you try to sign Marner?