Marner excited to start 'peaceful' new chapter with family in Vegas

CALGARY -- For Mitch Marner, it was always family first.

That's why the 28-year-old forward, who is from Markham, Ontario, made the difficult decision to approve a sign-and-trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Vegas Golden Knights on July 1. He did it with his wife and newborn son in mind.

“It’s going to be a new life. I’m really excited for it,” Marner said on Thursday from Hockey Canada's 2025 National Teams Orientation Camp. “Having the newborn now, my wife and I are very social, we like going out for dinners, we like being out with our friends, we like being around our teammates. It was tough to do that in Toronto.

“We’re looking for a new chapter, a new peaceful way of life sort of way, and we're going to enjoy watching our son grow up outside more, too. We’ll have to bring him back (to Toronto) a couple of times in the winter just so he can see the snow, but we’re looking forward to the relaxed side of things for sure.”

Leaving the fishbowl of Toronto for another Stanley Cup contender in Vegas, which can offer more anonymity away from the arena, was an opportunity too good for Marner to pass up.

As such, Marner, who could have become an unrestricted free agent, signed an eight-year, $96 million contract ($12 million average annual value) with the Maple Leafs prior to the trade. Toronto received forward Nicolas Roy in return.

Still, Marner described the moment as "bittersweet." He had been selected by the Maple Leafs with the No. 4 pick of the 2015 NHL Draft and put up 741 points (221 goals, 520 assists) in 657 games over his nine seasons there.

Ultimately, though, that regular-season success he helped bring to Toronto did not translate to the postseason, where the Maple Leafs are still searching for their first Stanley Cup championship since 1967.

“We wanted to finish the job there, we really did, but at the same time, we wanted to do what’s best for our family and we thought it was changing our direction of life," Marner said.

“I was so grateful for everything in Toronto. I grew up in Toronto, I knew what Toronto was all about. All I did for 15 years was wake up, put TSN on and watch the Leafs, watch the Leafs’ morning highlights nonstop, read the papers about the Leafs. You know what you’re getting into and that’s the passion nonstop.”

Entering last season, which was the final season of a six-year, $65.358 million contract ($10.893 million AAV) he signed with Toronto on Sept. 13, 2019, there was uncertainty regarding Marner's future with the Maple Leafs.

That continued to build all the way up to the NHL Trade Deadline in March, when Marner was asked by Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving to waive his no-movement clause to facilitate a potential trade to the Carolina Hurricanes for Mikko Rantanen. Marner said no, and Rantanen ended up getting dealt to the Dallas Stars.

Again, it was in the best interest of his family.

“The last two years there were a lot of rumors going on, a lot of different stuff swirling around. You didn’t know what was going to happen,” Marner said. “Then the whole Carolina thing comes up in the middle of the season. It’s a bit of an awkward one. My wife was six or seven months pregnant, we really didn’t want to be a deadline player.

“I would have had to leave and go back to Toronto because my wife wasn’t coming down with me, so I was moving into Carolina myself if I did that. The logistics of it and everything, it just didn’t make sense and then from that point on, we told [the Maple Leafs] we were committed to [Toronto] and we were going to play it all out.”

Toronto would go on to be eliminated by the Florida Panthers in seven games in the Eastern Conference Second Round. After the series, Marner knew there was a good possibly he would not return for a 10th season, something he discussed with Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares, the other members of Toronto's "Core Four."

“It was tough to have those convos, but we looked at it as a family aspect of things,” Marner said. “... We did what was best for us.”

And as free agency neared, Vegas was at the top of their list.

The Golden Knights (50-22-10) finished first in the Pacific Division last season but were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in five games in the Western Conference Second Round.

Adding Marner, who had an NHL career-high 102 points (27 goals, 75 assists) in 81 games last season, should only improve a team that finished fifth in the League in goals per game in 2024-25 (3.34).

“Mitch was an incredible get for us, and then him committing to eight years shows what we’ve built there,” Golden Knights captain Mark Stone said on Thursday. “It’s pretty exciting to add him and put him into the team. I know he’s excited and he’s going to have a little chip and something to prove, which is always good for us. When there is something to prove it usually goes well for us.”

Stone would know. He was one of those high-profile players brought in by Vegas, having been acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 25, 2019. Jack Eichel was another, having been acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 4, 2021. Both of them played a key role in helping the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup in 2023.

“It was really a no-brainer for us. We were super excited to get that [trade] call,” Marner said. “The team is very talented, they have so much skill on it. They play the game a hard way; it’s tough to play against them.

“I’m very fortunate to go to another great team. We had a great team in Toronto, and I’m fortunate to go to another great team in Vegas. I’m looking forward to it.”