Inside Mitch Marner’s Tumultuous Final Season in Toronto: Trade Talks, Teammate Reactions, and a Westward Eye
As Mitch Marner prepares to step back onto the ice at Scotiabank Arena-not in blue and white, but as a Vegas Golden Knight-new details have emerged that shed light on the behind-the-scenes tension during his final season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. And if you thought the drama was limited to playoff exits and contract debates, think again.
A new report has peeled back the curtain on a pivotal stretch in the Leafs' locker room-one that involved trade rumors, internal confusion, and a growing sense that Marner’s time in Toronto was winding down long before the headlines confirmed it.
The Three-Team Trade That Almost Was
At the heart of the story is a bold, behind-closed-doors attempt by the Leafs to orchestrate a three-team blockbuster. The goal?
To send Marner out and bring Colorado Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen in. Vegas and Carolina were reportedly involved in the framework, but ultimately, the pieces didn’t fit.
According to sources, the Leafs were testing the waters with the Golden Knights and Hurricanes, hoping to find a way to satisfy all parties. But just eight hours before the trade deadline, they got the call: Rantanen wasn’t coming to Toronto. Twenty-four hours later, the story leaked.
Inside the Leafs’ locker room, the reaction was a mix of exhaustion and surprise. Players had assumed the trade deadline would finally bring closure to the swirling rumors.
Instead, they were hit with a double whammy: not only was Marner still on the roster, but there weren’t even any active contract negotiations happening. That realization reportedly caught several teammates off guard.
A Quiet Signal from Marner’s Camp
Digging deeper, there’s another layer to this story. Before the calendar flipped to the new year, Marner’s agent, Darren Ferris, reportedly informed the Maple Leafs that his client might be open to a move-specifically to a contender out west.
It wasn’t a demand. No teams were named.
But the message was clear enough: if the Leafs were looking for a solution, the door to the Western Conference wasn’t locked.
That nugget adds context to the Rantanen talks. While those discussions didn’t materialize into a deal, they weren’t born out of thin air. The Leafs had reason to believe Marner might be ready for a change of scenery, and they explored options accordingly.
Fallout and Moving Forward
The Leafs, to their credit, kept pushing forward. They compartmentalized the noise and focused on the ice.
But it’s hard to believe that the uncertainty didn’t leave a mark. When teammates realize there are no ongoing contract talks with one of the team’s cornerstones, it sends a message-whether intentional or not.
Now, nearly a year later, Marner is returning to the city where he became a star. The circumstances are different, the jersey is different, but the emotions? Those will be very real.
This isn’t just another game on the schedule. It’s a reminder of what was, what could’ve been, and how quickly things can change in the NHL.
Marner’s time in Toronto was filled with highlight-reel plays, passionate debates, and playoff heartbreaks. And now, as he skates back into the building that once chanted his name, it’s clear that his final season in Toronto carried a lot more weight behind the scenes than most fans ever knew.