Elliotte Friedman Strongly Hints at Marner's Next Team: 'I'm Going to Stick With That Until I'm Proven Wrong

The NHL Draft is finally upon us, and less than a week later, we'll get to NHL free agency, and given the moves we've seen already this off-season, the landscape of the entire league could be set to change.

One player that has a lot to do with that change is star forward Mitch Marner, who is the biggest name on the free agency market this summer, and for the past few weeks, speculation has been swirling around his next team.

If he does indeed depart Toronto as expected, Marner will be looking to land with a Stanley Cup contender that can pay him a big deal, and unsurprisingly, that has led to the expectation that the Vegas Golden Knights are the favourite.

That thought has been backed up by NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, who has all but confirmed that we will see Marner alongside Jack Eichel in Vegas for the 2025/26 campaign and beyond.

It may not be straight forward, as the Golden Knights will likely have to move out some salary to fit in the former Maple Leafs star, but with what he brings to the table, it's safe to say that he'd be worth it for Vegas, a team that has failed to reach the Western Conference Finals in their two years since winning their first Stanley Cup.

There's definitely other teams still interested in Marner, but right now, Vegas is the team to beat, and if Friedman is this strong in his thinking, it's likely going to happen on July 1st or shortly thereafter.