For the first time in his NHL career, Mitch Marner will play against his boyhood team.
Marner and the Vegas Golden Knights will host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night in Sin City.
“I don’t think I’ve got to look at it any different,” Marner told reporters on Wednesday after helping beat the Los Angeles Kings in overtime. “Just look at it as another hockey game and just try and go out there and do my thing.”
The Markham, Ont., native was selected fourth overall by the Leafs in the 2015 NHL Draft and would go on to have one of the most prolific - and polarizing - careers in franchise history during his nine seasons in Toronto.
One of the most talented wingers to ever wear the Blue and White, Marner’s name is littered in the Leafs’ history books.
| Stat | Mitch Marner | Leafs’ Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Games Played | 657 | 14th |
| Goals | 221 | 14th |
| Assists | 520 | 4th |
| Points | 741 | 6th |
| Shorthanded Goals | 10 | T7 |
Marner’s multi-point efforts are some of the best in Maple Leafs’ history as well.
He ranks fourth in two-point games (203), second in three-point games (66), second in four-point games (17) and third in five-point games (5).
Despite all the regular season point production and success, Marner departed Toronto this past summer for Las Vegas after falling to the Florida Panthers in seven games in the second round.
Marner was part of a core that guided the Maple Leafs to the postseason in each of his nine seasons in Toronto.
An over a point-per-game player in the regular season, Marner’s production dipped in the playoffs. He recorded 63 points (13 goals and 50 assists) over 70 games in the postseason, which actually still led the team during his Leafs’ career.
Similar to the rest of the Leafs’ core - Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares and Morgan Rielly - frustration grew with Marner over the years due to his inability to produce when it mattered the most, coupled with the Leafs’ premature playoff exits.
Over seven do-or-die elimination games with the Leafs (six Game 7s and one Game 5 against the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2020) Marner recorded just two assists. Toronto lost each time, including a devastating 6-1 rout on home ice by the Florida Panthers in the second-round last spring.
Obviously, other key players on the Maple Leafs failed to produce during the the biggest moments, but fairly or unfairly, Marner received a large portion of the criticism from fans, especially in the latter years.
A handful of contentious moments with the media didn’t strengthen his relationship with the fan base either.
When his contract ended this summer, Marner knew it was time for a change.
“We just decided it was time for a new chapter,” Marner told Mark Masters in late August. “We loved being in Toronto full time and being close to family and friends, but we just thought it was time for a new chapter in life, and having Miles, our son, we wanted to look at other options and see what was out there. We found one we really liked.”
The 28-year-old inked an eight-year, $96 million contract, featuring a $12 million average annual value, with the Golden Knights as part of a sign-and-trade with the Maple Leafs.
Before the start of the season, Maple Leafs great Darryl Sittler called Marner “an all-around player” and said he would be missed in Toronto.
“He’s such a great player,” Sittler continued. “Like, you talk about his goals and assists and his creativeness which is awesome to watch, but he was very good defensively. He was an all-around player. Sometimes these things happen. He’s moving on. He’ll do very well I think in Las Vegas and we’ll miss him here.”
Still adjusting to a new team and city, Marner has started somewhat slow in Nevada, tallying 11 goals and 36 assists over 45 games in 2025-26.
Marner will now welcome his former team to town on Thursday, an appetizer for what should be a very emotional and difficult return to Toronto on Jan. 23.
