Mitch Marner is just five days away from playing his first ever National Hockey League game not as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Vegas Golden Knights' marquee offseason addition is preparing for life on the strip, and he admitted to The Athletic's Dan Robson that he's looking forward to the different expectations with his new team.
“It feels a lot lighter, in a way,” Marner said of leaving his hometown of Toronto behind. “There were some dark times in the last couple of years.”
That's putting it lightly. Amid multiple failed postseason runs with the Maple Leafs, Marner had his address posted online, and admitted during the offseason that he at times felt unsafe in the city he grew up in.
Now, he has an opportunity to continue chasing a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights, a team that won it all back in 2023.
“I’m just super excited,” he said shortly after signing with Vegas. “For all aspects of my life.”
The 28-year-old continued: “Just remember to always look for the light at the end of the tunnel. And remember that everything has a purpose and you’ll find it eventually.”
Although his Toronto tenure ended tumultuously — and the playoff failures will never fully be forgotten — Marner will still go down as one of the most skilled forwards to ever don a Maple Leafs sweater.
Now he'll have a chance to write a new legacy with a powerhouse Golden Knights team that has its sights firmly set on bringing another championship to the strip in 2025-26.
Golden Knights enter season ranked 1st in NHL.com Super 16
Although they've suffered a couple of disappointing playoff defeats since winning the Stanley Cup in 2023, Vegas again projects as a contender after the addition of Marner.
NHL.com ranked the Golden Knights at No. 1 in their preseason power rankings, ahead of both the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, who have both advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the last two years.
“The Golden Knights are going for it again. They added yet another star in the offseason: forward Mitch Marner. Although they also lost a star in defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (hip injury), they should make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons since joining the NHL as an expansion team,” wrote columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika.
“They could win the Cup for the second time in four seasons. Marner couldn't get over the hump in the playoffs in Toronto. Maybe he'll have better luck in Vegas.”
Marner is slated to play with another superstar in Jack Eichel on Vegas' top line, and he'll also join a stacked top powerplay unit also featuring Mark Stone, Tomas Hertl and Shea Theodore.
It'll be interesting to see if Marner can get past the second round for the first time in his career with his new team next spring.
