SEATTLE — Mitch Marner will be back in the Maple Leafs lineup when they face the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night. Marner missed his first game this season in Calgary on Tuesday night with what he called a “spasm thing” that popped up suddenly earlier in the week.

Marner didn't want to get into specifics on the lower-body injury but noted it had nothing to do with his previous game.

Both Marner and Rantanen are free agents at the end of this season. Rantanen was recently traded from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes, and he's expected to get a major contract in the free-agent market. As Pagnotta outlines, Utah is positioning itself as a threat for free agents with its focus on spending for a new era.