The Mitch Marner free agent sweepstakes didn’t even make it to July 1 before the superstar winger chose to join the Vegas Golden Knights.
As the number one UFA in the prime of his career, Marner was drawing interest from a vast majority of the league this summer. New teams were being linked to the three-time all-star for months after the Maple Leafs were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.
One of those teams that had been mentioned quite often was the Anaheim Ducks; however, Eric Stephens of The Athletic shut down the thought that the two sides ever came close to a deal.
“I don’t think Mitch Marner ever seriously considered Anaheim simply due to the Ducks not being far enough along in their path to annual playoff contention. And I don’t think the Ducks were keen on throwing a $14 million AAV at him as an overpay enticement. There was interest, just not at that kind of number,” Stephens wrote.
Part 2 of the Ducks mailbag. Mason McTavish. And other topics.#FlyTogetherhttps://t.co/l6uyc5NGuM
— Eric Stephens (@icemancometh) August 21, 2025
The 28-year-old was ultimately dealt to Vegas in exchange for Nicolas Roy before signing an eight-year, $96 million contract that keeps him with the Golden Knights through 2032-33.
Stephens could see the Ducks making a splash via trade
While they didn’t land Mitch Marner, the Anaheim Ducks were still quite busy this offseason, signing free agent Mikael Granlund and acquiring Chris Kreider in a trade with the New York Rangers.
Those were solid additions, but the Ducks still have plenty of cap space, and according to Stephens, they could be players in the trade market.
“But there’s been rumored interest in Jason Robertson or Martin Necas. Given the pieces Anaheim has, I can see the trade route being one to take,” Stephens wrote.
General manager Pat Verbeek has been aggressive in turning over the core of his roster since taking over in Anaheim, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear that he’s looking to stay active as we approach the start of the 2025-26 season.
