In what has felt like an inevitability since the NHL’s 2024-25 Stanley Cup playoffs ended, star right winger Mitch Marner is leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs for the Vegas Golden Knights via a sign-and-trade deal. 

Reports Saturday that the Leafs and Golden Knights were in negotiations to trade Marner only confirmed the narrative that Marner wanted out of Toronto. Now, he’s getting an eight-year contract worth $12 million annually on the Golden Knights, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

But how did it come to this? 

From the time he was drafted fourth overall in 2015, Marner was seen as a very special player and a cornerstone component of the Leafs’ full rebuild. 

He initially responded to the pressure of playing in Toronto very well: in his first NHL season in 2016-17, Marner posted 42 assists and 61 points in 77 games, and in his third year, he had 68 assists and 94 points. He ended up recording at least 90 points in four seasons and averaged at least a point per game in seven of his nine campaigns. This past season, Marner had a career-best 75 assists and 102 points. 

Unfortunately, as Marner’s Leafs career unfolded, there was a bigger problem that overshadowed his regular-season dominance – namely, his inability to lead Toronto to deep playoff runs.

Without question, it was always unfair to Marner that he was scapegoated for the Maple Leafs’ slew of early playoff exits. He was never the kind of player who could put the team on his back and pound opponents into dust. 

Still, there was always a sense that Marner wasn’t built for playoff success. 

Leafs Nation watched him flail and wail as the Buds were conquered time and again in the post-season. While Marner was a point-per-game player in the post-season, he never could come up with game-changing moments when the Leafs needed them most. 

As a result, the spotlight eventually scorched Marner, as he grew increasingly uncomfortable making even run-of-the-mill media availabilities.

The longer Marner played in the past year without signing a contract extension, the more it became clear that he was not long for Toronto. Whenever he was asked about his future, Marner threw out cliches and evasive answers, but the proof was in the pudding when his signature never appeared on a new contract. And rumors at the trade deadline that the Leafs asked him to waive his no-trade clause to be moved to the Carolina Hurricanes – a request Marner rejected – added to the drama.

Now, it appears that Marner is headed for the bright lights of Vegas – and a Golden Knights team that knows elite talent when it sees one. 

Marner will happily be able to escape the day-to-day grind of Toronto, and he’ll be joining a Vegas squad that always seems to be ready, willing and able to go deep into the playoffs. He’ll start with a clean slate on Day 1 in Vegas, and that’s probably what he needs the most at this stage of his playing days.

Marner’s elite playmaking skills will be quite welcomed in Nevada, playing alongside Grade-A talents, such as center Jack Eichel and power forward Mark Stone. He isn’t going to be asked to be “The Man” for the Golden Knights, and that will likely allow him to relax for the first time in many years. Positive results will probably follow. 

But the first time Marner returns to Toronto, you’d better believe the boo birds are going to be out in force. Leafs fans understand full well that, if Marner knew he was leaving the Leafs at the end of the past season, he could’ve helped out the Buds by accepting a trade. Instead, he reportedly acted in his own best interests to shoot down a deal that could’ve brought star right winger Mikko Rantanen to the Leafs. 

While that decision was entirely within Marner’s rights as someone who negotiated a no-trade clause in good faith, Leafs fans might not see things that way. In the end, many will see the end of Marner’s career as a lost opportunity for the Leafs.

You could always see he desperately wanted things to work out, but for one reason or another, they never did. And now, at age 28, Marner will be starting a new chapter in his career. He’s getting a major raise on the $10.9 million he earned this past season, and he will likely have great success with the Golden Knights.

And now, after he’s played nine seasons with the only professional team he’s ever known, Marner is ending his Maple Leafs days moving out of the fishbowl toward the relative anonymity of the Vegas desert. The Leafs will start the post-Marner era as they search for the post-season success that Marner could never deliver.

More to come as trade details are finalized.

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.