One of the most talked about topics in the NHL over the past month or so has been about where Mitch Marner will end up signing. A few teams have emerged as contenders, and with the Toronto Maple Leafs seemingly out of the race, it's more than likely Marner will be in a different uniform next summer.
One team that has been linked to Marner as an option might check all the boxes for the superstar winger, and that is the Carolina Hurricanes.
With Marner's time on the Maple Leafs now all but over, could a red-and-white jersey be in his near future?
Carolina Hurricanes can just make sense for Marner
While I can't speak on exactly what Marner is thinking during this tough time or what his priorities are when signing with a new team, but I can speculate.
A lot of the teams rumoured to be linked to Marner are small-to-medium market teams who have experienced recent success. As well as being located geographically in the south.
The top three teams predominantly appear to be Vegas, Florida, and the previously mentioned Carolina, and while Vegas and Florida are always enticing destinations as a free agent, I believe that Carolina may be the best spot for Marner.
The City of Raleigh checks all of the boxes, it's a smaller market where he won't face as much attention from the media, yet still being home to a passionate fanbase. The Hurricanes are a strong team that'll contend for a Stanley Cup, and he is moving out of Canada and out of the Atlantic Division, yet still staying in Eastern Standard Time.
Which leads into my next point, Marner recently became a father and has to consider where he is going to raise his family, and Carolina might be the spot.
As mentioned before, he won't have to worry about changing time zones. But Raleigh is also in a great climate with warm summers and still having snowfalls in the winters where he and his family can enjoy outdoor hockey and other winter activities.
In short, Carolina checks all of the boxes for Marner. Good city, good location, small market but still loyal fans, and he'll have the opportunity to do something in Carolina that he never had the chance to do in Toronto.
He'll be the #1 face of the franchise and won't be competing with anyone else.