The top available free agent this summer is expected to be Mitch Marner, and the Los Angeles Kings are reportedly one of the teams that he would consider. Recently, David Pagnotta with The Fourth Period wrote that he believes Marner has "a list of seven or eight teams he prefers to go to if the offers are in place."
Among the teams Pagnotta listed alongside the Los Angeles Kings were the Vegas Golden Knights, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and San Jose Sharks.
It makes a lot of sense for why the Kings, or really any team in the NHL, would have interest in Mitch Marner. He has had 97 or more points in three of the past four seasons and the one season he didn't was in 2023-24 but even that season he had 85 points in 69 games.
If he were to join the Kings, he would immediately become the team's top forward and hopefully help an offense that was stagnant at times this past season. However, Marner joining a group that already has Adrian Kempe, Quinton Byfield, and Kevin Fiala could be enough.
LA Kings signing Mitch Marner has concerns and challenges
For the Kings, signing Marner would have it's own challenges and concerns most notably starting with the contract. He is expected to receive a new deal that will be likely over $13 million AAV and while they have the salary cap to do that, if they were to sign him to a deal like that it would limit them from really doing much else in free agency.
This means they probably lose players like Vladislav Gavrikov and Andrei Kuzmenko in the process, and that creates challenges as they try to fill out the depth and replace these players. There is also the concern of Marner's playoff performance, and for a team that is trying to build a roster that can compete in the playoffs, Marner may not be the right player.
At least for now, the interest seems mutual between the two sides and it will be interesting to what transpires over the next month and if it becomes a reality.