The Toronto Maple Leafs can try to believe that they don't miss Mitch Marner.
But really, they do. Marner is shining for the Vegas Golden Knights, and the disparity showed on Saturday night.
In one arena, the Maple Leafs were getting bashed by the Edmonton Oilers, a 6-3 loss.
In another, Marner was by far the best player on the ice for Vegas in a win. Check out this game score chart:
NHL GameScore Impact Card for Vegas Golden Knights on 2025-12-13: pic.twitter.com/3wfZfDeSGf
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) December 14, 2025
Marner's more traditional standout stat for the night was his three assists. He also spent about one-sixth of his ice time helping the Golden Knights on the penalty kill.
The reality, of course, is that Marner didn't want to come back to Toronto. The Maple Leafs facilitated a sign-and-trade just to get something out of the situation.
That doesn't make it any less painful that Marner is gone, though.
He's one of the best two-way players in hockey. He had only ever played for Toronto. And now, the Maple Leafs are encountering bumps in the road while Marner looks like the best version of himself a long way from home.
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