The start of NHL free agency is at hand, and the biggest prize is Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Marner has been one of Toronto’s “Core Four” players for the last nine seasons, but it was deemed that he would be the player to go after the Maple Leafs were eliminated in the second round by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

Marner and the Maple Leafs have been regular-season winners since 2016-17 – Marner’s rookie season – but they have gotten out of the first round just twice. As a result, general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube have come to the conclusion that the era of the Core Four is over.

Auston Matthews and William Nylander remain under contract, and it was expected that John Taveras would join Marner in free agency. However, he signed a team-friendly four-year, $17.5 million contract last week and will remain with the team after scoring 38 goals last season. Many expected Taveras to leave the Maple Leafs and end up with a deal that would have paid him at least $7 million per year

Unless the Maple Leafs make a shocking trade involving Matthews or Nylander, Marner is the only member of that foursome who will end up with a new team. He is the best and most explosive free agent and he would make nearly every team better. However, the Vegas Golden Knights appear to have the best chance of reeling Marner in and pairing him with Jack Eichel on their top line.

Free agency commences Tuesday at noon ET.

Marner is coming off a career-best 102-point season and he has scored 97 points or more in three of the last four seasons. He will be able to take advantage of a salary cap that is increasing to $95.5 million and is likely to see a seven- or eight-year deal that approaches $15 million per season.

Here’s a look at six top unrestricted free agents that are about to hit the market:

The 29-year-old right-shot defenseman played a key role in the team winning back-to-back championships and he has been one of the team’s core players for 11 seasons.

Ekblad had a salary cap hit of $7.5 million last season and would seem to be the kind of player that the Panthers have to bring back if they want to make a run at three straight Stanley Cups. However, the Panthers acquired another right-shot defenseman in Seth Jones at the trade deadline. Unless Ekblad is willing to accept a discount, it seems likely that he will play for another team next fall.

Ehlers is clearly one of the Jets’ best players and many expected the 29-year-old to sign an extension with the Presidents Trophy winners during the regular season. That did not happen, and he is about to hit the open market after scoring 24 goals and 63 points last season. That came one year after he netted 25 goals and 61 points in 2023-24.

The Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets are likely to be in the market for this consistent scorer. He had a salary cap hit of $7.5 million last year, and a contract that pays him $7-8 million seems likely.

The shocking trade deadline move of Marchand from the Boston Bruins to the Panthers could not have worked out better for the Stanley Cup champions. Marchand played with energy and passion throughout the playoffs and scored 10 goals and 10 assists in the postseason. He was arguably Sam Bennett’s biggest competitor for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup playoff Most Valuable Player.

The Panthers want to keep the 37-year-old, but he has not signed yet. After making $6.1 million last year, Marchand could get a short-term deal (2 to 3 seasons) that approaches $7 million. The Maple Leafs, the Bruins and others are likely to compete with the Panthers for his services.

Gavrikov has shown significant improvement over the last few seasons, and when you combine his six years of NHL experience with his excellent size at 6-3 and 220 pounds, he is going to be very desirable in free agency. He is coming off a notable 30-point season in which he had a rating of plus-36.

The left-shot defenseman had a salary cap hit of just under $5.9 million last season. It would not be a shock if his next deal approaches $8 million, and the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers are the most likely suitors.

It appeared the Blue Jackets were going to move Provorov at the trade deadline last March, but they decided to keep him as they made a push for the playoffs. The Blue Jackets would like to hang on to him, but so far Provorov and his representatives have held off signing a new deal.

The 28-year-old scored 7 goals and 26 assists last year and is solid on both ends of the ice. The Utah Mammoth, Ottawa Senators and Rangers all are likely to have an interest in Provorov

Boeser is certain to find a new home in free agency because the Canucks made a decision to trade him prior to the deadline. However, they could not find a partner that was willing to give them a decent return for his services.

Boeser is a scorer and he can put the puck in the net from the greasy areas and he also has a good shot. He scored 25 goals last season and hit his career high of 40 goals the season before. He had a salary cap hit of $6.65 million last season and he should get close to $8 million this season. The Senators, Bruins, Kings, San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild are likely to be the most interested teams in his services.