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After three consecutive postseason misses, Pittsburgh Penguins POHO and GM Kyle Dubas made it pretty clear in his postseason press conference on Apr. 21 that he will mainly put his focus on the RFA and trade markets this summer as his team transitions through a rebuild.

But there's one analyst who thinks the Penguins could possibly swing bigger on July 1.

In an appearance on the Pat McAfee show, NHL analyst and former player Paul Bissonnette was discussing what Pittsburgh's summer could potentially look like. And there was one big-name free agent he brought up as a story to watch.

“One that probably sticks out is Mitch Marner," Bissonnette said. "Hasn’t signed yet,” Bissonnette said. “He’s a Toronto Maple Leaf. Kyle Dubas loves Mitch Marner. He was with him in Toronto.

”There’s a little hostility between the Maple Leafs and Marner, based on the fact that they tried to trade him at the deadline for Mikko Rantanen, who was available. And they were willing to part ways with Mitch Marner, even though he had a 100-point season.”

"Mitch Marner is gonna be a free agent and Kyle Dubas loves em..

He's a guy that's probably gonna command $14M a year on the open market" ~ @BizNasty2point0#PMSLivehttps://t.co/GwWMNox2gjpic.twitter.com/nJ9MEpgSzu

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 28, 2025

Regardless of whether or not the Penguins decide to involve themselves when the time comes, the story around Marner is going to be interesting, to say the least. 

Marner, 27, is set for a big pay raise on July 1, which will come in the form of either an extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs or a free agent contract elsewhere. Rantanen set the precedent for the market when he signed an eight-year, $96 million contract extension after being traded to the Dallas Stars, which averages out to $12 million per year.

NHL Trade Deadline: Mikko Rantanen Shoots For The (Dallas) Stars With Blockbuster Move, ExtensionMikko Rantanen’s time with the Carolina Hurricanes ends after 42 days. His time with the Dallas Stars is expected to be much, much longer.

Yes, that $12 million AAV is a good baseline when projecting what Marner's next contract would look like, especially if it comes in the form of an extension with Toronto. But given the bidding war that would likely ensue if Marner elects to head to unrestricted free agency, he could command even more than that - potentially, in the range of $14 or $15 million.

Truth be told - even with the rising cap - that puts a lot of teams out of the conversation. Even Toronto will have some decisions to make in order to extend Marner, as Matthew Knies is a pending-RFA and veteran John Tavares is a pending-UFA - both of whom should command pretty significant dollars. And they'll still need to fill out the depth on their roster, too.

'That's What You Have To Do At This Time Of Year': Matthew Knies' Play In Game 1 Against Senators Highlights His Value To Maple LeafsMatthew Knies is the definition of a playoff performer with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

So where does this leave the Penguins?

Well, for one, it's worth noting that Dubas has pretty much said that the Penguins wouldn't be focusing on the UFA market this summer. He said that with the rising cap, the dollars allocated to signing elite players - and older ones, at that - add up pretty quickly.

"I think the effect in free agency is probably going to be somewhat of a spike in salary, and so it’ll dry up the cap space rather quickly for us, and those players are mostly into that late-20 to early-30 category," Dubas said. "I think it's going to allow us to maybe trade for players that other teams can't afford that are restricted free agents, and then sign them longer range ourselves, using that cap space that way.

"So, you're signing a player that's 23-24 for seven or eight years versus going into free agency for someone who's 27 to 32 and getting them for seven years."

'We Have To Stick To A Very Concise Plan And Then Execute Our Butts Off': Dubas Clarifies Penguins' Summer PlansTo close out the 2024-25 season, Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas spoke with the Pittsburgh media on Monday.

Makes sense, right? For a team in the Penguins' situation, absolutely. As of now, the Penguins are projected to have just over $23 million in cap space, and if they truly want to target players in the RFA market, signing Marner for $14 million would severely limit their ability to do so. 

However, something else to consider is that the cap is going up significantly year-by-year, and the Penguins have no obligations to long-term extensions currently on their roster. A lot will change before then, but as of now, they are projected to have $54.75 million in cap space during the 2026-27 season and $87.4 million the season after.

They also have a few players on their roster - guys such as Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, and Tristan Jarry - who eat up chunks of their cap and may or may not be moved this summer, which would, presumably, open up more cap space and give them the freedom to dabble in both the UFA and RFA markets.

Getting ahead of signing someone like Marner might not be the worst thing when shedding a light on those factors, as free agents are only going to get more and more expensive year over year, and the Penguins actually have the space to afford something like that down the line.

And - unlike in the RFA market - the Penguins wouldn't have to give up any significant assets in terms of prospects and draft capital to simply sign someone who can help them in the near- and long-term.

It's unclear what path the Penguins plan to take next season. They could tank for Gavin McKenna, but the risk in doing that is that several other teams across the NHL - such as the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Seattle Kraken, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Ducks - are better-positioned to do that because they lack some of the high-end talent on their roster that the Penguins have.

It's Time To Redefine 'Generational NHL Player' With Gavin McKennaGavin McKenna will go first overall in the 2026 NHL draft. It's not a matter of if, but when.

What's more likely is that they will neither intentionally tank or intentionally try, and they will end up finishing right around where they did this season - within the top-10 in draft order. If that's the case, there's no real hurt in at least exploring the market for Marner, as he alone is unlikely to change their fortunes in any significant way, anyway.

Regardless, it should be interesting. And even Bissonnette threw some caution at the wind when discussing the possibility of Marner and Dubas reuniting in Pittsburgh.

"I think it's going to take them at least two or three years to get good again," Bissonnette said. "I'd be shocked if they made the playoffs next year unless they do what [the Washington Capitals] did in the offseason and have a complete home run as far as free agent signings. 

"If Mitch Marner ends up there, and you're paying him $14 million, and all of a sudden, all you have is $12 [million] left over... it's hard to address other areas."

More than likely, Marner is donning a Maple Leafs sweater to kick off the 2025-26 season. But if he does elect to test the free agent waters, don't be overly surprised if an old friend decides to, at least, make a phone call.

Mitch (Marner) Really Held The Fort For Us": Leafs GM Gives Strong Vote Of Confidence In Marner Ahead Of PlayoffsMitch Marner's performance in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs could ultimately define his future with the Toronto Maple Leafs. If the Toronto Maple Leafs are to have any success during their 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, their top stars are going to have to perform and Mitch Marner is certainly no exception.  

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After a Game 4 overtime victory on Saturday night, Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk skated off the ice, confidently yelling at the fans, "We'll be back!"

He was spot on.

Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle each had a goal and and two assists as the Senators defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-0. Sens goalie Linus Ullmark played his best game of the playoffs, making 27 saves for the shutout. Thomas Chabot and Dylan Cozens each scored for the Sens, who now force a Game 6, which will take place back in Ottawa on Thursday night.

Both teams had some solid early chances in the first six minutes. In a goalmouth scramble, the puck trickled behind Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz, and Drake Batherson dove to try to swat it in. However, Morgan Rielly was quick to clear it away, a split second before Batherson’s stick blade arrived. 

Shortly after, at the Toronto blue line, Nick Jensen made a pass right onto the stick of John Tavares, sending him alone on a breakaway. But Jensen hustled back in time to disrupt the play, taking away Tavares's forehand shot. Tavares's backhand attempt, however, wasn't particularly threatening.

Things got feisty near the end of the first period as the Senators and Leafs traded cross-checking penalties. Ridly Greig caught Matthew Knies, and then Morgan Rielly clobbered Thomas Chabot. While Greig's penalty was barely a minor, Senators head coach Travis Green was hollering for a major penalty on Rielly for the hit on Chabot.

Despite just three shots in the first period, Ottawa got on the board first.

After a faceoff win by Tim Stützle, Claude Giroux used a bit of interference to create some space for Thomas Chabot at the point. Chabot had time to walk the line, dust it off, and snap one in from distance off Stolarz’s shoulder, off the crossbar and in.

The game was filled with great chances at both ends that were stolen away by desperate defenders with last second stick checks.

In the third period, after a bad neutral zone holding penalty on Ridly Greig, it appeared to open up an opportunity for the Leafs. However, Ottawa slammed that shut when Dylan Cozens scored shorthanded to make it 2-0 on a perfect 2-on-1 feed from Adam Gaudette.

The Sens played smothering defense after that, continually chipping the puck out of the zone and getting pucks deep. At times, it seemed almost too conservative. The Leafs had several great chances in tight, including Auston Matthews ringing one off the post.

But it worked.

The Leafs pulled the goalie early, and after the Senators got it deep, Claude Giroux fed Stutzle in front and he somehow got it through a couple of sprawling Leaf defenders. Tkachuk added a second empty netter to close out the scoring, threading the needle through the legs of Mitch Marner.

The Senators have now cut Toronto's lead to 3-2 and will host Game 6 for their final home game of the series on Thursday night. Not only do Ottawa fans get to enjoy playoff hockey in May for the first time in eight years, but now they're starting to believe in what seemed impossible three days ago.

By Steve Warne
THN Ottawa Site Editor

Tough Love Fuels Impressive Growth of Young Ottawa Senators DefencemanThe Ottawa Senators owe a lot to the University of North Dakota. The institute played a significant role in developing many pieces of this team's young core. During Saturday night's thrilling 4-3 overtime victory, the impact of the North Dakota boys was on full display.

Welcome to The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live, streaming nightly during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs.

After the big game of the night, our experts go live to react to the match that was, break down the key moments and storylines, provide updates on the rest of the night's NHL slate and read your opinions.

On tonight's show, Emma Lingan and Michael Augello react to the Ottawa Senators beating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-0 and cutting the Buds' series lead to 3-2.

Leafs vs Senators Game 5 - Playoff Frenzy | The Hockey NewsWelcome to Playoff Frenzy Live by The Hockey News presented by STIX.com, where we give our live reactions and break down the latest news to all the biggest g...

Are the Leafs' playoff demons haunting them? How did Linus Ullmark look in net in his first career playoff shutout? And what else is going on around the NHL? Share your thoughts in the comments and live chat, and the hosts may discuss your message during the stream.

Check out the show right now.

The NHL Department of Player Safety suspended Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad for the next two games on Tuesday.

Ekblad laid a high hit on Tampa Bay Lightning left winger Brandon Hagel during Game 4 of their first-round playoff series on Monday. Ekblad’s forearm landed on Hagel’s face. Hagel was forced to leave the game, and Bolts coach Jon Cooper said Hagel won’t play in Game 5.

“Ekblad takes his right hand off of his stick, raises his elbow, pulls it back and uses the extended arm to deliver a blow that strikes Hagel in the head with force, causing an injury,” NHL player safety’s video explanation said.

“This is a direct blow to an opponent’s head with an extended elbow delivered with requisite force for supplemental discipline,” the video said.

Cooper Frustrated After Hagel Injured In Game 4 'It’s Getting Tiresome Answering Questions About A Hit Every Single Game'Jon Cooper sounded frustrated. But he also sounded defeated.

Ekblad played his second game of the series on Tuesday after returning from a 20-game suspension for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.

Ekblad scored a crucial goal in the Panthers' dramatic Game 4 comeback. He and Seth Jones scored a goal each within 11 seconds to take a 3-2 over the Lightning late in the third period, eventually winning 4-2 and taking a 3-1 series lead.

The 29-year-old has a minus-three rating in his two appearances and averaged 21:16 of ice time.

There have been a handful of disciplinary actions from NHL player safety involving this series. Hagel was suspended for Game 3 after a heavy hit on Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov. Florida D-man Niko Mikkola was also fined $5,000 for boarding Zemgus Girgensons in Game 4.

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