Pietrangelo to miss 2025-26 season as Marner speculation heats up

The Golden Knights will need to watch their step the next few days.

Alex Pietrangelo is coming off the books, which would make a potential Mitch Marner signing a lot more feasible. But as the Golden Knights sniff around picking up Marner, some reports suggest the Maple Leafs could slap them with a tampering charge.

Golden Knights’ star defenseman Alex Pietrangelo will miss at least the 2025-26 season due to injury, according to NHL analyst David Pagnotta. Pietrangelo requires multiple major surgeries and his absence will leave a sizable defensive hole the team will have to solve going forward. 

Pietrangelo’s contract ends at the end of the 2026-27 season when he will be 37 years old. Assuming Pietrangelo is only out of the lineup for one season, that would mean the two-time Stanley Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist would be aiming to return as healthy as possible for the last year of his contract to negotiate a new contract in a strong position. 

His absence will, however, take his $8.8 million contract off the books. That would theoretically go a long way in making room for a Mitch Marner contract.

Judging by the sheer number of headlines out there, it would appear the Golden Knights are front runners in wooing the Maple Leafs’ flashy winger. Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon is likely trying to get Eichel, Stone, and Dorofeyev some help putting pucks in the net and Marner is at the top of this year’s crop of unrestricted free agents. Marner had 27 goals and 75 assists in 81 games last season, and his next contract is projected to be anywhere between $10 million to $14 million per year depending on who you talk to.

But things aren’t so simple. With the Golden Knights so apparently at the forefront of Marner negotiations, the Toronto Maple Leafs expect to get something in return. The Leafs want to arrange a trade-and-sign deal. However, if the Golden Knights wait to let his contract expire and simply pick him up in free agency, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman suggests the Leafs could very well file a tampering suit against the Golden Knights.

Free Agent Frenzy begins on July 1. Tread carefully, Golden Knights…