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The first major domino of the 2025 NHL Free Agency period has fallen as Mitch Marner has a new home. Marner agreed to a sign-and-trade, sending him from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Vegas Golden Knights. This was a win for all parties involved.
Marner has signed an eight-year deal worth $96 million, signing the day before free agency opened. The contract was then traded from the Maple Leafs to the Golden Knights in exchange for Nicolas Roy. Marner was the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Maple Leafs. He joined the Leafs in the 2016-17 season. Marner has been great for Toronto. He was a three-time All-Star and made the first team twice. Further, he was a part of the 4 Nations Face-Off team that won the tournament.
He quickly blossomed into a star. In the 2018-19 campaign, he hit 94 points, the most of his career at that time. Still, he has continued to grow as a player. In the last four seasons, he has scored 25 or more goals in all of them, while scoring 85 or more points. Further, this year he had a career high of 75 assists and 102 points. He was set to hit the open market on July 1, but the Maple Leafs worked a move to trade him to Vegas and get something in return.
Mitch Marner hits jackpot in Las Vegas
The biggest winner in this transaction may be Marner. The current CBA allows for a player to sign a seven-year deal with a new team, but allows for an eight-year contract to be signed with their existing team. Under the new CBA, this reduces to six years with a new team and seven years with the existing franchise. This means Marner will be one of the last eight-year contracts for some time. To secure eight years of financial stability, let alone the lifetime stability a $96 million contract could bring, is a win for Marner.
He is also going into a perfect situation. To begin with, he escapes the Eastern Conference. The conference has been dominated by the state of Florida in recent years. In the last six seasons, a team from Florida has played for the Stanley Cup every year. The Panthers are also bringing back much of the team that just captured Lord Stanley. This is also the same team that has eliminated the Leafs twice in the last three years. Now, Marner can focus on winning in the Western Conference.
Further, Marner trades playing with Auston Matthews for playing with Jack Eichel. Matthews is much more of a goal-scoring option, whereas Eichel sets up the assists very well. He had 66 assists this past season and is one of the league's best playmakers. Marner has shown to be a goal-scoring threat in his career, especially when Matthews has been out of the lineup. Now he can excel there, while also setting up another threat in Eichel.
Golden Knights prep for another Stanley Cup run with Mitch Marner
It is possible Vegas overpaid for Marner in terms of the length of the contract. They added a year to the deal and lost a player in the process. Committing eight years at a value of $12 million per year is a gamble. Still, this is Vegas, which has built stadiums and massive casinos on a gamble. This helps form an amazing group of top-six forwards, which the rest of the league cannot rival. On the top line, Marner, Eichel, and Ivan Barbashev should be dominant. There are three goal-scoring options, while all three can set up the play as well. This is assuming that Marner stays on the right wing and Mark Stone moves down a line. If Marner moves to the left side, the Golden Knights will have Marner, Eichel, and Stone on the top line when Stone is healthy.
Even if Stone drops a line, that makes a line of Stone, with Pavel Dorofeyev and Tomas Hertl. This could be one of the best second lines in all of the NHL. Hertl was third on the team in points last season, while also scoring 32 goals. Further, Dorofeyev led the team with 35 goals last season. As the Golden Knights have struggled with the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference, they now have two lines that rival, if not exceed, the top two lines of Edmonton.
Maple Leafs are pleased to get something for Marner
Marner could have walked away from Toronto for nothing. It became clear last week that Marner was not returning to Toronto. The fact that the Maple Leafs got something in return for a departing free agent should be celebrated. Still, the Leafs brought in a quality player. Roy has scored 30 or more points in each of the last four seasons, while also scoring 10 or more goals in four straight years.
His career high in points is just 41, but Roy is a solid third-line center. The fact that the Leafs brought in quality for a player who could have easily walked away is a win. Now, the Leafs have their top three lines filled with quality centers. The top line is home to Matthews, while John Tavares, who just recently re-signed with Toronto, anchors the second line. While replacing Marner will be difficult, the recent trades for Matias Maccelli and Roy will pay out and let the franchise compete.
Grades and final thoughts
Marner could have easily accepted a seven-year deal with any team he wanted to. He got to go to the team he wanted, and get another year of guaranteed salary. Any person who snags another $12 million of guaranteed money gets a winning grade. Meanwhile, Vegas also gets a solid grade. They may have been able to get him for fewer years, but he may not have been less expensive. They also add a bonafide superstar forward who will pair well with Eichel. Both players can create and both can score, making this top line one of the best in the NHL.
Finally, Toronto got something. While Roy is not Marner — not even close — they grab a third center, which adds depth behind Matthews and Tavares. This is a something is better than nothing situation, and Toronto deserves all the accolades for making this happen. While they would have loved to keep their former first-round pick, it was not in the cards. Vegas drew pocket aces, and Toronto should be happy with a split of the pot.
Mitch Marner Grade: A+
Toronto Maple Leafs Grade: A
Vegas Golden Knights Grade: A-
