‘Excited to go back there’: Marner set for first game in Toronto against Maple Leafs

By Canadian Press on January 23, 2026.

TORONTO — Mitch Marner doesn’t know what to expect when he hits the ice in his old stomping ground.

The Vegas Golden Knights winger will soon find out — and the reception is unlikely to be pleasant.

Marner spoke with reporters at the team’s hotel Friday morning, roughly eight hours before a much-anticipated return to Scotiabank Arena for his first game in Toronto since turning his back on the Maple Leafs last summer.

“We’ll see as soon as warm-up starts,” he said when asked about the fan reaction. “Excited to go back there. That building’s meant a lot to me.”

Marner cheered for the Original Six club as a kid and was selected No. 4 overall at the 2015 NHL draft.

The product of nearby Thornhill, Ont., enjoyed plenty of regular-season success with the Maple Leafs, but was a lightning rod of criticism in hockey’s biggest media market for Toronto’s inability to break through in the playoffs.

A slow march out the door from his de facto hometown last season as unrestricted free agency loomed July 1 finally ended when the Maple Leafs shipped him to Sin City in a sign-and-trade deal that netted Marner an eight-year, US$96-million extension.

Toronto landed depth forward Nicolas Roy as part of the swap, which allowed Marner to add an eighth season to his contract by initially putting pen to paper with the organization he was about to depart.

“I don’t want to look back,” Marner said. “If you look back, you’ll not focus on what’s in front of you.”

Marner will, however, almost certainly be feted with a tribute video after the puck drops.

“I’m sure it’ll really hit once it starts going,” he said. “I’m gonna try to enjoy it and then try to get back to hockey right away … I haven’t thought of that too much. I’m trying not to.

“I know it’s gonna be maybe a weird, cool, special moment.”

Marner registered a career-high 102 points in 2024-25 with the Maple Leafs and had 94 or more on three other occasions.

“It was special,” he said of playing in Toronto. “If you told my younger self, I wouldn’t believe it. It was a special thing to wear that Maple Leaf jersey — I always wanted to. And to be able to do it for nine years and be a part of that team, and to play in that arena that I grew up trying to go to watch Mats Sundin, all the legends … it was pretty cool.

“Something that I’ll be able to look back on and share with my kids, and just how fortunate I was.”

Marner finished with 741 points (221 goals, 520 assists) in 657 regular-season games, but received that stinging criticism for repeated post-season flops as part of an offensively talented roster that included Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares.

Apart from the string of spring disappointments — Marner had 63 points in 70 playoff games with the Maple Leafs, but often faded out of series in key moments — the 28-year-old was also heavily criticized for the negotiation of his previous contract back in 2019.

The pact included a no-movement clause over the final two seasons that would come back to bite the Maple Leafs ahead of last March’s trade deadline when it became clear he wouldn’t be re-signing.

Marner, who said there would be family in attendance for his return, had 12 goals and 40 assists for 52 points in 49 games coming into Friday.

His new club sits comfortably in a playoff position atop the Pacific Division standings, while his old mates entered play three points out in the Eastern Conference post-season race.

“It’s not as chilly,” Marner said of life in Las Vegas. “There’s no snow, a little bit different vibe. But playing-wise, both passionate fan bases, both have a lot of love for their team. The media aspect of things is a little smaller, but the fan bases are both fantastic.”

Set to play for Canada at next month’s Winter Olympics, he was with the Maple Leafs when John Tavares returned to face the New York Islanders after leaving for Toronto in free agency — a game also packed with energy and angst.

“He was cool and collected about it,” Marner recalled. “It didn’t bother him as much as maybe people thought it could have. That was pretty interesting.

“I’m going to try to go and do it.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2026.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press