The summer of 2025 could see some big-time free agents hit the open market as Toronto's Mitch Marner and Colorado's Mikko Rantanen remain unsigned beyond this season. If they do end up going to the open market, they will be two of the most sought-after free agents in recent history, as both are under the age of 30 (Marner is 27; Rantanen is 28) and are among the best offensive players in the league.

With the NHL's salary cap set to rise—and perhaps significantly—it is going to be great news for both free agents like Marner and Rantanen and the teams looking to add them.

Here we are going to focus on Marner and look at some early possible destinations if he does get to the open market. These are suggestions and ideas given team needs, salary-cap situations and just some options that might make sense.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Sometimes the most obvious answer is also the easiest answer. Perhaps even the most likely answer.

Marner is from Toronto, he seems to be happy in Toronto, and he has been a huge part of their franchise over the past nine seasons.

There is a reason plays like this do not typically hit the open market in free agency—when teams have them, they tend to keep them through their prime years. Toronto has not only done the same with Auston Matthews and William Nylander, signing both of them to long-term contracts in recent years, it has also resisted all temptation and outside pressure to deal Marner following several postseason disappointments.

If they were eager to let him go, they could have tried to do so already.

A lot of this might depend on what happens in the playoffs, and especially with Marner.

If Toronto finally finds success in the postseason with Marner playing a big role in that? It is hard to imagine the Maple Leafs letting him get away easily.

But if they go out in the first round again and Marner struggles the way he did a year ago? Maybe everybody just looks for a fresh start. Still, the Maple Leafs have to still be considered the front-runner because A) they already have him, and B) he is from Toronto.

Buffalo Sabres

Geographically speaking, Buffalo would be the next-best option for Marner if he did end up leaving Toronto (either by force or by choice).

There are two pretty big obstacles with that idea, however.

The first is that Marner would have to want to commit to a team that has not made the playoffs in 13 years and is working on a 14th consecutive miss.

The second is Buffalo would have to commit to paying top dollar for a free agent.

Neither is a given. Both might be long-shots. Especially when it comes to the latter. The Sabres entered this season with several needs on its roster, pressure to finally do something, and left more than $5 million in unused salary-cap space. The league cap may not matter here as much as the Pegula cap does.

But from a hockey standpoint, there would be a definite match here. The Sabres are in desperate need of another big-time, playmaking forward and somebody who can be a star and help move the needle on a perpetual rebuild that has had no ending in sight.

New York Rangers

As the Rangers are constructed this would be tricky under the salary cap, even if it takes a significant leap. They have 11 pending restricted free agents and unrestricted free agents, they have significant needs all over the roster and they still have some big-money players on the roster eating up a significant chunk of their salary-cap space.

But you really can not discount the Rangers when a top free agent is potentially available.

Especially if they can find a way to maybe shed one or two of those big contracts.

If they could find a taker for Mika Zibanejad's deal, or perhaps if they decide to move on from another core player like Artemi Panarin or Chris Kreider, that could open all sorts of avenues for the Rangers in the offseason and in free agency.

There is immense pressure for the Rangers to win, and there are some big questions as to whether this core can get it done. Even if they decide to break up this core group, the Rangers are not going to raise the white flag when it comes to winning. They would have to be considered a potential landing spot for any top free agent on the market.

Utah Hockey Club

Now that Utah (formerly the Arizona Coyotes) has a legitimate ownership situation and long-term stability, it is time to start taking the club seriously as a potential destination for players.

They already made a couple of big long-term investments this past offseason when they acquired Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino on defense, while also signing Dylan Guenther to a long-term contract, and they should be in the market for more this offseason.

They have a promising young core, a clear push to try to compete and build up a fanbase in a new market, and they also have a significant amount of salary-cap space.

They also need a big-time star at forward to help bring everything together.

Guenther and Logan Cooley have star potential, and both seem to be on the right track, but adding a bona fide top-10 scorer could accelerate the timeline and move the needle in a meaningful way.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks might stink in terms of the standings, but they do have a couple of things working in their favor when it comes to potentially attracting a top-tier free agent.

For one, they have one of the game's best young players in Connor Bedard and some intriguing young talent starting to make its way up through the system.

They also have a ton of salary-cap space and almost no long-term commitments on the books.

As of publication, they have just four players signed beyond next season, and one of them—defenseman Seth Jones—could be on the trade block sooner rather than later.

They have money to spend, a desire to get better as quickly as possible and Bedard needs another star-level player to take some of the pressure off him.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets are quickly becoming one of the most fascinating teams in the NHL.

They have overachieved this season, they have one of the NHL's best collections of young talent (led by Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko), and they have an enormous amount of salary cap to work with this offseason as only two players on the roster make more than $6 million against the cap.

They could, and should, be in the market for any top free agent or available player on the market.

Especially if they can sneak into a playoff spot this season and take that sort of step forward.

They need a star, and Marner could be it.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild have done an admirable job navigating their way through the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts, and next season the biggest years of those buyouts are finally coming off the books.

That will open up around $14 million in salary-cap space, not to mention any potential increase that comes from the league's cap continuing to rise.

Depending on how much the cap goes up, they could have as much as $25 million (or more) in space to work with and not many big contract priorities to worry about this offseason. Marco Rossi will need a new deal as a restricted free agent, and they will have some open roster spots, but nothing that will eat too much into that open space.

They are a playoff team right now despite the salary-cap limitations they have been working with, and adding a player like Marner to go with another superstar in Kirill Kaprizov might be able to make them a serious Stanley Cup contender in the Western Conference.

Vegas Golden Knights

Yes, the salary cap would make this problematic.

No, it might not be very realistic.

Yes, it would require a lot of creativity and roster maneuvering to make it even somewhat realistic.

But we have seen enough from the Vegas Golden Knights in their existence to know that if a top-tier player is available, they are going to find a way to make themselves a potential landing spot.

I would not put them at the top of the list.

I would not list them as one of the top contenders to land him.

But I also would not rule it out.

You can not rule them out. Vegas is never ruled out of these things. They find a way. They always find a way.