NHL Trades and Rumors

Do Mitch Marner and the Maple Leafs Miss Each Other Already?

Neither Mitch Marner nor the Toronto Maple Leafs has necessarily thrived since parting ways.

by
Jackson Weber
March 28, 2026

In year one apart, the transition hasn’t been all that smooth for Mitch Marner or the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Marner has had his least productive season in quite some time, struggling to find a true fit on his new team. On the other hand, the Maple Leafs have had an even messier campaign, clearly lacking talent outside of Auston Matthews and William Nylander—though Matthews’ numbers also took a significant dip without his longtime setup man.

The good thing for Marner is that the most important part of the year remains ahead of him, with the Vegas Golden Knights still in playoff position, as opposed to Toronto’s season being all but over. A strong stretch run and postseason would completely change the narrative around the superstar winger, though, given the way things have looked of late, many are skeptical that the switch is suddenly going to flip.

TSN analyst Bryan Hayes said on Friday:

“I watched that game last night—he was invisible in Vegas. He was awful last night, yes. Like, they got a point, but Mitch Marner, I don’t know. I haven’t watched him play every game this year. He’s still had a good year; it’s not like he’s been horrendous, but they are struggling in Vegas,”

The 28-year-old Marner has produced 70 points (19 goals, 51 assists) through his first 72 games played as a Golden Knight, his worst per-game pace since the 2017-18 campaign.

He was, of course, sent to Vegas from Toronto in a sign-and-trade for Nicolas Roy this summer before signing an eight-year, $96 million contract with the Golden Knights.

MItch Marner Maple Leafs gone — MItch Marner Maple Leafs

It had long been evident that both Marner and the Maple Leafs needed to part ways, though the way it all ended—market turning on a player who may have already had one foot out the door, then resulting in a limited trade return—doesn’t appear to have helped either side.

With their season very likely wrapping up in just under three weeks, you can expect Toronto to place a lot of its attention on Vegas to see whether Marner can do what he wasn’t able to for almost a decade with his hometown team: elevate his game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Next: Dark-Horse Team Floated as Landing Spot for Auston Matthews