Mitch Marner will join the Pacific Division but not as a member of the LA Kings
The biggest free agent out there this offseason has to be Mitch Marner as the former Toronto Maple Leafs forward is ready for a new start after playing his first nine seasons in the league with the team that drafted him. He has consistently been at least a point per game average player and at only 27 years old, is just entering the prime of his career.
Marner is in a situation where he holds more leverage because of the caliber of player he is. While, almost every team in the NHL would want to add a player of his skill set, it really is Marner's decision where he goes and he has created a short-list of teams he would consider.
All reports are that the Los Angeles Kings are one of those teams on Marner's list and will have a chance to sign him. However, there is another team in the division that is reportedly on the list, and in the end, he will sign with the Vegas Golden Knights.
While the Kings have a solid core of players, the Golden Knights have Jack Eichel and have won a Stanley Cup more recently. Those are two things that will favor Vegas and, in the end, give them the edge over the Kings.