NHL analyst unveils Mitch Marner's most likely destination in free agency

According to Puck Empire, the Chicago Blackhawks are poised to win the Mitch Marner sweepstakes. The Blackhawks are projected to have a total of $30.9 million cap space once July rolls around.

That kind of available cash gives Kyle Davidson some flexibility to spend and improve the lineup as the rebuild marches on into 2025.

A recent report by prominent insider PuckEmpire confirmed a major report between the Blackhawks and Marner, that he is indeed favorited to land in Chicago.

Panos Mavridis of Puck Empire feels that the Blackhawks will be the top team to land Marner. Which is a nice thought if GM Kyle Davidson can sell him on the rebuild here.

They're a team that isn't in win-now mode, unlike the Maple Leafs. They're still rebuilding but pieces are starting to show up in the lineup which could lead to a promising future, like Frank Nazar, Sam Rinzel, and even Spencer Knight who arrived in a trade.

Marner could play on one of Connor Bedard's flanks, and that should be the 1st-selling point before even mentioning the team is an original-six organization.

Marner could play on Bedard's right flank, which would give the team some flexibility with Ilya Mikheyev and could be more suited as a 2nd or 3rd-liner.

He'd immediately make an impact as a 102-point player this season (27 goals, 75 assists).

But the question we have to ponder is how much Mitch Marner asks for in terms of cap space? At the moment, his AAV is $10.9 million, and he could ask for upwards of $12-14 million for his next contract.

Could Kyle Davidson convince him to stay at this amount or less? Considering his playoff performance, maybe a city where he'd feel less pressure could be beneficial for his game.