Lots of teams are interested in Toronto Maple Leafs free agent forward Mitch Marner.
Even some of the non-contenders.
Count the San Jose Sharks in on the long list of teams that want the two-way superstar.
The Athletic's Chris Johnston sees the Sharks pursuing Marner. And they do have $40 million in cap space.
Johnston then pushed back a bit, though, saying, “I would be surprised if he went to a place coming off a rebuild. I think he’s going to go to one of the better teams in the league.”
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The Sharks' biggest selling point would likely be young superstar Macklin Celebrini.
They could also pay Marner as much as anyone.
The commonly accepted Marner value right now seems to be $14 million per year, a record for a winger.
If the Sharks decide to get involved, though, they're exactly the kind of team that could raise the bidding. They've got tons of cap space and really nothing to lose, and they know they've got to overwhelm Marner to have a chance.
Marner would also have to feel good about rocking the Sharks' exciting color scheme. If he feels like he looks good in teal, maybe this isn't as far off as it seems.
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