In 2015, when Mitch Marner was drafted fourth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs, his head coach, Mike Babcock, didn’t want him. Babcock wanted a defenseman, like Noah Hanifin or Ivan Provorov, after the team’s brutal 68-point campaign in 2014-15. But general manager Lou Lamoriello ignored his coach’s wishes and selected the hometown kid. Marner quickly made his mark, becoming the team’s next star.
Alongside Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares, the ‘core four’ era had begun. The future looked bright, and it wasn’t a matter of when they’d win a Stanley Cup; it was a matter of how many. The pressure only grew from there. Marner blossomed into one of the league’s best wingers. His 94-point season in 2018-19 made him the first Maple Leaf in over 20 years to reach that mark.
Life was good in Toronto. Marner was good in Toronto. Then, things started to unravel. Piece by piece, a divorce was coming, whether the Leafs and Marner wanted it or not. Marner’s joy for the game waned. The team explored trading him at last season’s March 7 deadline, but Marner blocked it.
Related: Golden Knights Land Mitch Marner From Maple Leafs in Sign-and-Trade for Nicolas Roy
“We’re aligned with Mitch. We’re worried about this season, we’re worried about the games we have coming up. We want Mitch here for a long time,” Treliving said after a game in Utah last season. “It’s not a distraction… but it’s just not a question we’re going to get into every day.”
After another disappointing playoff exit, this time to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in the Second Round, questions swirled about Marner’s future in Toronto. Those questions have now been answered. Marner is officially a Vegas Golden Knight, a move that isn’t a surprise. This move was inevitable, a perfect fit that’s been quietly building for more than a year.
The Golden Knights’ 2024 Offseason
The 2024 NHL Playoffs ended in disappointment for Vegas. They had just acquired both Tomáš Hertl and Hanifin at the trade deadline, only to fall flat to the Dallas Stars in seven games in Round 1. This is where the possibility of Marner becoming a Golden Knight started to float. On 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman, in late May, suggested that the two teams had discussed a trade, but nothing ever came close.
“I do believe, on some level, last year, that the Maple Leafs and Vegas talked about a trade,” Friedman said. “At some point, I think Vegas was interested in Marner. I think Toronto talked to them.” The asking price was too steep for McCrimmon and company to consider.
They wanted Marner, but parting ways with defenseman Shea Theodore was a non-negotiable. They weren’t going to ship off their anchor on the blue line. “Number one was that I think Toronto was interested in Shea Theodore,” Friedman said. “As the Golden Knights proved, they were not interested in trading him. They wanted to keep him.”
The Golden Knights silenced all rumors by inking Theodore to a seven-year extension worth $7.4 million. After selecting him in the 2018 Expansion Draft, he wasn’t going anywhere. “They told people, ‘You want to watch Shea Theodore? You’re going to watch him,'” Friedman said. “‘You can buy a ticket to watch him play for us.'”
There was also no guarantee at the time that Marner would sign with Vegas. There was interest between the two sides, but it wasn’t enough to take a gamble on the 28-year-old winger.
“There was no guarantee that Marner at that time was going to be agreeing to (waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a trade, nor signing a contract extension with Vegas),” Friedman said. “So, while I do think the two teams talked about it, and Vegas had some interest, I don’t think it was ever, ever realistic.”
While it might not have happened then, it planted a seed. For one of the best players in the NHL, acquiring him seemed possible heading into the 2024-25 season.
Three-way Blockbuster Trade Discussed at 2025 Trade Deadline
Near the end of last season, the Golden Knights and Maple Leafs were both sitting near the top of the league. Vegas was riding a four-game win streak, while Toronto trailed the Panthers by just two points for first place in the Atlantic Division. The March 7 trade deadline was hectic. Brad Marchand was dealt to the Panthers from the Boston Bruins, and the Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand from the Seattle Kraken.
But one much bigger deal was quietly brewing beneath the surface. According to James Mirtle of The Athletic, a hypothetical three-team trade would have sent Marner to Vegas, Mikko Rantanen to Toronto, and a package of players, and possibly picks, to the Carolina Hurricanes. The hang-up was Carolina receiving an adequate return for Rantanen, which ultimately caused the deal to fall apart and could become one of the great “what ifs.”
“It’s unclear just how far those talks went, or if Marner was asked to waive his no-movement clause to go to Vegas, but it sounds like what killed the deal was Vegas and Carolina failing to find the right assets to include to get it done — not anything on the Toronto side. (The Hurricanes ended up landing Logan Stankoven, two first-round picks and two third-round picks from the Stars for Rantanen)” (from ‘The 9 most intriguing teams of NHL free agency: What I heard from a buzzy draft combine,’ The Athletic, 6/9/25).
This move by Toronto was largely driven by the fear of losing Marner for nothing; a final effort to get value before it was too late. This came to no avail, as they failed to strike a deal, and Marner remained a Maple Leaf.
Golden Knights Finally Land Marner in Sign-and-Trade Deal
In the end, all Toronto received in return for Marner was Nicolas Roy as part of the sign-and-trade deal. Roy is a dependable third-line center, but far from a true replacement for the hometown kid they let go – or drove out, according to some.
After rumors of Marner’s pending departure swirled in Toronto for months, Marner is officially a Golden Knight. After more than a year of pursuit, the Golden Knights have landed the superstar winger, turning speculation into reality. Marner returns to his roots, donning No. 93, the number he wore during his time with the London Knights, as he begins the next chapter of his career in the desert.
