The Detroit Red Wings could jumpstart their club by adding the biggest fish in this offseason’s free-agent pond: Mitch Marner.
In this two-part post, I’d like to take an in-depth look at what it would mean for the Red Wings to sign the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 100-point scorer. I will focus on the positives in this post, keeping the drawbacks for the second part.
Let’s dispense with the math first. Marner is coming off a six-year, $65.41 million deal. His contract carried a $10.9 million cap hit.
Now, Marner has said that he wants to make more than his Leafs teammate Auston Matthews, who carries a $13.25 million cap hit. That situation means the Red Wings will have to pony up at least $13 million to land Marner.
Let’s assume the Red Wings are willing to pay Marner and they’re willing to use up the bulk of their $21 million in cap space to land him.
Assuming everything goes well, the Red Wings will land Marner somewhere around $13.5 million for the next six to seven years. That situation gives the Wings a dynamic, playmaking forward to jump into the top line with captain Dylan Larkin and goal-scoring winger Lucas Raymond.
I’m sure most Wings fans have already read my mind. Marner setting up Raymond could be one of the deadliest combos in the Eastern Conference. While Larkin hasn’t been bad in a setup role, he is more of a defensive-gritty center. He thrives on working down low, digging pucks, battling, and making key plays when they come around.
Plus, Larkin could also benefit from the open ice Marner would create as opposing defenses would focus on stopping Marner. That added pressure on the opposition would give coach Todd McLellan a solid top line to match up against the best in the league.
It’s worth pointing out that having Marner in the fold could give coach McLellan options. He could slide Marner in with Marco Kasper and Alex DeBrincat, making it harder for opposing coaches to match up against the Wings’ lineup.
Overall, adding Marner gives the Wings something they haven’t had in a while: Flexibility. The Wings need as many different looks as they can get in order to help the club compete against more established competitors in the Atlantic Division.
Mitch Marner could elevate Detroit Red Wings’ special teams
There’s another crucial aspect to adding Mitch Marner. He’s a unique type of player who can be effective on the power play and the penalty kill.
The Wings had the fourth-best power play during the regular season at 27%. Marner could conceivably boost the power play to the top of the league.
The penalty kill, however, is an entirely different story. Marner’s superior defensive skills would be a boon to the Wings’ penalty kill. That penalty kill, which was dead-last in the league at 70.1% could immediately jump out of the cellar and into more respectable territory.
All told, adding Marner would be a huge shot in the arm for the Detroit Red Wings’ special teams. If the power play can remain top five and the penalty kill climb to the middle of the pack, the Red Wings could well be on their way to competing for a playoff spot next season.
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