Nobody generated more headlines around the NHL this offseason than Mitch Marner.
The superstar winger was the cream of the crop in free agency, with much of the league interested in prying him out of Toronto.
While plenty of teams were linked to Marner along the way, the Vegas Golden Knights always felt one step ahead of the pack, and that wound up being the case.
After nine years with the Maple Leafs, the Markham, Ontario, native decided it was time to move on, heading to Vegas in what went down as a sign-and-trade, sending Nicolas Roy back to Toronto in return.
Marner's departure has been and will continue to be a major topic of discussion around the hockey world, but we have to wait a while before he makes his return to Scotiabank Arena on January 23rd. With that date circled on the calendar for many, Marner was asked how he anticipates it all to go at the NHL Player Media Tour on Tuesday.
"I know it will be weird walking into the visitors side for once. So, yeah, we’ll see how it goes. I mean, when that moment comes, we’ll take it head-on and see what happens. The good thing is that I know I’ll be going in there with a lot of guys on my side and 22 guys that are willing to do whatever it takes to win a hockey game. And I know there will be a lot of loved ones in the fans as well in the arena," Marner said.
"I’m sure once the season gets going I won’t think about it as much just because I like to be in the present, in the moment. But once that week hits, I’m sure it will start hitting about what the thoughts and feeling might be like. It is what it is. I still have a lot of appreciation and love for a lot of people there," Marner added.
Marner prepared to face Toronto homecoming 'head-on' with Golden Knightshttps://t.co/XrIxbdUait
— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) September 9, 2025
The 28-year-old ultimately signed an eight-year, $96 million contract with the Golden Knights after being acquired from the Maple Leafs.
How will Marner be remembered in Toronto?
The lack of playoff success, along with the way things ended for Mitch Marner in Toronto, upset plenty of Maple Leaf fans.
Despite that, Marner hopes that he's remembered for all of the positives from his time with the team he grew up cheering for.
"Just a guy that tried, I guess, to help his hometown team accomplish great things. I tried to wear that jersey with pride and honor every single time I could. Tried to give it everything I had. Unfortunately, we came up short," Marner said.
He certainly put in a good nine years of work wearing the Maple Leaf, but as he mentioned, they fell short of their ultimate goals, which is why change had to happen.