While the season technically isn't over yet as the Stanley Cup Finals carry on, the Los Angeles Kings have already shifted their focus to next season with their new general manager Ken Holland. There is no question that he would like to make an impact this summer, and there may not be a bigger move than signing free agent Mitch Marner.
The Toronto Maple Leafs forward is by far the best player who is expected to be available in free agency, and the Kings are reportedly one of the teams that Marner will consider. However, Marner's timeline could put the Kings in a tough position, and they should consider pivoting before Marner actually makes his decision.
According to Darren Dreger on TSN1050, Marner is not expected to make a decision on July 1st, which is when free agency begins. In fact, he could consider visiting prospective franchises, and a decision might not be made until the middle of July.
LA Kings don't have enough cap space to wait on Mitch Marner
The Los Angeles Kings have around $21 million in cap space, according to Puckpedia, and that should be enough to sign Marner. However, they would probably need to set aside about $14 million of that to sign the Maple Leafs' forward.
If they go this route and miss out on Marner, most of the top free agents will have already agreed to new deals. This puts the Kings in a tough position to really improve the roster to achieve their goal of being a Stanley Cup contender.
It may end up being a mistake if Marner ultimately picks the Los Angeles Kings and they miss out on a forward who has consistently scored at or over 90 points per season. However, if they can take that $14 million and improve their roster in the first few days, that is a better result than saving the cap space and missing out on Marner.