When the NHL offseason first started, there was a lot of talk around where star forward Mitch Marner would land. Marner was easily the biggest name on the free agent market, and the majority of the league believed that his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs was done.
Multiple teams were vying for his services, believing that he could be the missing piece to a championship puzzle. He finished 2024-25 with 102 points (27 goals, 75 assists) in 81 games. But due to his high price tag, there were only a few teams that could realistically entertain the idea of bringing him into the mix.
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Marner eventually landed with the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade, giving Vegas an extremely loaded squad for next season. But before he ended up with the Golden Knights, there was a lot of smoke around the Anaheim Ducks.
However, it seems that the interest from Anaheim may have been a little overblown.
Marner Ducks Anaheim
It was reported heading into free agency that Anaheim would be the team to offer him the highest total contract. But according to Ducks insider Eric Stephens of The Athletic, Anaheim never got to that total.
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“I don’t think Mitch Marner ever seriously considered Anaheim”; “I don’t think the Ducks were keen on throwing a $14 million AAV at him”; “There was interest, just not at that kind of number”
Anaheim is in the middle of a rebuild, even if the team seems ready to take a jump this season. Marner likely preferred to join a title contender right now, and the Ducks aren’t there just yet.
Giving him around $14 million per season could have been detrimental to the cap flexibility moving forward as well. Anaheim is better off keeping things open for another star player once they establish themselves as a true force in the Western Conference.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the NHL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.