June has not only been the month of the NHL Stanley Cup Final but also the month of the Mitch Marner sweepstakes.
A recent report shared by The Athletic’s James Mirtle went into length about how the Vegas Golden Knights nearly completed a three-team trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes, which would have sent Marner to Vegas. However, the three-way trade between these teams fell through because the Golden Knights and the Hurricanes were unable to find the right assets to complete the deal.
It remains unclear if Marner was asked to waive his no-movement clause. Although the Golden Knights have failed to acquire Marner in a couple of instances, they still aren’t out of the running.
Why Mitch Marner Could Still Go to Vegas?
Marner is expected to garner a deal of $14 million per year, though an efficient contract would be closer to $12 million. While there are legitimate arguments for Marner’s regular-season value, any team hoping to contend in his free agency pursuit is going to have to offer a top-dollar figure.
Vegas reportedly pursued Marner ahead of the trade deadline, according to Mirtle. “Theoretically, the Leafs would have received Mikko Rantanen while the Golden Knights got Marner and sent something to Carolina.”
“It’s unclear just how far those talks went, or if Marner was asked to waive his no-movement clause to go to Vegas, but it sounds like what killed the deal was Vegas and Carolina failing to find the right assets to include to get it done — not anything on the Toronto side,” Mirtle said.
Toronto, Carolina, and Vegas almost had a three-way deal in place that would’ve sent Mitch Marner to Vegas and Mikko Rantanen to Toronto, per @mirtle.
The deal reportedly fell through because Carolina and Vegas “failed to find the right assets” to complete it. pic.twitter.com/dBrFLOl9mP
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 9, 2025
In the regular season, Marner finished as the team leader in points (102) with 27 goals and a team-best 75 assists in 81 games played. In the playoffs this year for the Maple Leafs, he also tallied 13 points in as many games played.
Marner has also won the Memorial Cup and is a three-time All-Star. The Canadian native, who was originally selected fourth overall by his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2015 draft, additionally holds the record for the fastest player in Maple Leafs history to reach 600 career wins.
Reports shared have mentioned that Vegas is still a destination with which Marner would be willing to sign. What is key to whether or not Marner will end up a Golden Knight depends on the salary cap. The Vegas situation is tight for general manager Kelly McCrimmon, having just over $9.6 million in salary cap space
However, according to Mirtle, “if they moved someone such as William Karlsson, who has a $5.9 million cap hit for two more years, they could make a competitive Marner bid. And they wouldn’t have to worry about giving up those kinds of assets this time around.”
