Mitch Marner set to suit up 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.

The product of nearby Thornhill, Ont., cheered for the Original Six club as a kid and was selected No. 4 overall at the 2015 NHL draft.

Marner 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.

His 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 the forward 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.

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

He 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 a roster 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.

That pact included a no-movement clause that would come back to bite the Maple Leafs last season ahead of the trade deadline when it became clear he wouldn’t be re-signing.

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

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press