Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner appears likely to hit the open market on July 1, but there was a chance earlier this season that he could've been a Vegas Golden Knight.
In the aftermath of the NHL's trade deadline, reports surfaced that Marner, who possessed a no-movement clause in his contract, declined to waive it to go to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Mikko Rantanen. Carolina, ultimately, sent Rantanen to the Dallas Stars.
Following Toronto's elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs, another report emerged from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, saying the Maple Leafs were in trade talks with the Golden Knights and wanted defenseman Shea Theodore in return.
This reported discussion, however, reportedly occurred in the summer.
"I heard [Vegas] told people, 'You wanna watch Shea Theodore? You can buy a ticket to watch him play for us,'" Friedman said on 32 Thoughts earlier this month. "And they followed through on their word."
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We're 22 days into Toronto's offseason and another report of a trade including Marner, which ensued before the deadline, has surfaced, via The Athletic's James Mirtle, who wrote, "according to league sources, there were also discussions around a Marner-to-Vegas transaction before the trade deadline this year, a move that would have involved the Hurricanes in a three-way deal.
"Theoretically, the Leafs would have received Mikko Rantanen while the Golden Knights got Marner and sent something to Carolina."
Mirtle added that while it's unknown how far trade discussions went, the deal didn't fall apart from the Maple Leafs' side.
"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."
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Drafted by the Maple Leafs in the first round (4th overall) in 2015, Marner sits fifth all-time on the franchise's points list (741 points in 657 games), fourth in assists (520), and fifth in the team's all-time playoff points (63 points in 70 postseason games).
Marner is coming off his first-ever 100-point season, scoring 27 goals and 75 assists in 81 games. The 28-year-old never gave a definite answer when asked several times this year whether he'd like to be a Maple Leaf beyond this season.
"Always loved my time here," Marner said during locker cleanout day, in what could be the final team he speaks to the media as a Maple Leaf. "Like I said to you guys the other night, I've been so grateful. I haven't processed anything yet. It's still so fresh."
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Despite inching closer to the top of Toronto's record books, it appears likely that Marner will be a free agent on July 1, with most NHL clubs preparing to bid for the free agent forward. While returning to the Maple Leafs is still possible, it feels unlikely at this point in time.
If this is the end of his tenure in Toronto, the forward finished the 2025 playoffs with 13 points — two goals and 11 assists — in 13 games, against the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers.
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