Mitch Marner’s return to Toronto is set to take center stage Friday night at Scotiabank Arena, as the Maple Leafs welcome the Vegas Golden Knights in what promises to be an emotional and revealing reunion. After a quiet few months to start the season, Marner’s name is back in the headlines - not just because of his upcoming homecoming, but because new details are emerging about how his time in Toronto came to an end.
According to recent reporting, the breakup wasn’t as clean or sudden as it may have seemed. Behind the scenes, the Maple Leafs were actively exploring trade options for Marner, with conversations reportedly taking place with both the Carolina Hurricanes and the Golden Knights. Names like Martin Necas, Shea Theodore, and Alex Pietrangelo were floated in those discussions, though none of those deals came to fruition.
Let’s unpack that for a second. Carolina apparently dangled Necas, a dynamic forward in his own right, but Toronto didn’t believe Marner would waive his no-move clause to head to Raleigh.
As for Vegas, they were interested but unwilling to part with Theodore, their top puck-moving defenseman. Pietrangelo’s name also came up, but Toronto ultimately backed off due to the health issues that later shortened the veteran blueliner’s career.
That brings us to where we are now: Marner, 28, is thriving in his first season with the Golden Knights after a summertime sign-and-trade that sent him west in exchange for Nicolas Roy. Since then, he’s put up 51 points in 48 games - 12 goals and 39 assists - and looks every bit the elite playmaker Vegas hoped he’d be when they inked him to that eight-year, $96 million deal.
For Toronto, though, this is where the sting starts to set in. Not because Marner is lighting it up in Vegas - that was always likely - but because the Leafs didn’t maximize his value when they had the chance.
Letting a player of Marner’s caliber walk for a modest return and cap space only works if that cap space gets turned into meaningful roster upgrades. So far, that hasn’t happened.
The Leafs’ blue line still lacks the kind of high-end puck-moving defenseman that could have come in a Marner trade. Outside of Morgan Rielly and waiver-wire addition Troy Stecher, Toronto hasn’t found consistent answers on the back end - and that’s been a recurring issue for years. Had they pulled the trigger on a deal two or three seasons ago, when Marner’s value was sky-high, the Leafs might’ve been able to address multiple roster needs in one bold move.
Instead, they held on - perhaps hoping for one more deep playoff run, or believing they could re-sign him long-term. But as the situation played out, both sides clearly needed a fresh start.
Marner got his, and he’s making the most of it in Vegas. Toronto, meanwhile, is left to wonder what could’ve been.
It’s always easy to play the hindsight game, but with trade discussions now coming to light, it’s clear Marner was one of the Leafs’ most valuable assets - and they let him go without fully cashing in. Friday night’s game won’t just be about a returning star. It’ll be a reminder of a missed opportunity, and a look at what the Leafs might still be searching for.