NHL Trades and Rumors
Analyst Expects Harsh Welcome for Mitch Marner in Toronto Return
All eyes will be on Mitch Marner as he makes his return to Scotiabank Arena next Friday night.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights meet just twice a season, and in 2025–26, those matchups come within a week of each other.
In most years, that wouldn’t generate much buzz. This time, however, they could be two of the most anticipated regular-season games on the schedule—and it’s because of one player: Mitch Marner.
We all know the history. After nine seasons as a face of the franchise, Marner and the Maple Leafs parted ways via a sign-and-trade that sent the superstar winger to Vegas in exchange for Nicolas Roy, where he went on to ink an eight-year, $96 million deal with the Golden Knights.
There were far more highs than lows during Marner’s tenure playing for his hometown team, but the lows came in the biggest moments—the playoffs—and the exit wasn’t pretty. As a result, TSN’s Bryan Hayes doesn’t expect Leafs Nation to offer a warm reception when he returns to Scotiabank Arena next Friday night as a visitor.
“I lean towards negative. I lean towards negative. Yes… Sure, you’re right, he was one of the best players. You know who was one of the greatest Islanders of all time? John Tavares. What happened when he went back? It doesn’t matter how great you were—it’s about the exit. It’s about the way it went out, the way he handled it. It’s unfortunate that it got to that point,”
The 28-year-old Marner has been his usual productive self with 46 points (10 goals, 36 assists) in 44 games to begin his first season as a Golden Knight.
Do the Maple Leafs Miss Mitch Marner?
There’s no denying that losing a perennial 90-plus-point winger—one who’s also defensively responsible—leaves a massive void. That said, the Maple Leafs are beginning to find their footing without Marner.
The added depth created by freeing up cap space has been evident and on full display of late, as Toronto is one of just four NHL teams with nine or more players to have already reached the 20-point mark. Not to mention the increased flexibility will give the Maple Leafs more freedom to pursue bigger-ticket players on the trade market or in free agency moving forward.
Ultimately, how these teams—and Marner in particular—fare in the postseason, if they get there, will be the true barometer of how the hockey world views the move.
Will there be times when Marner and the organization regret how things ended and wish the partnership had continued? Absolutely. But both sides were long overdue for a change, and so far, it feels as though they’re better for it.
Next: The Tables Have Turned on the Mitch Marner Toronto-to-Vegas Move
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