For the first time in his career, Mitch Marner won’t open an NHL season as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Now a member of the Vegas Golden Knights after a sign-and-trade on July 1, Marner will make his highly anticipated return to Scotiabank Arena on Jan. 23, 2026.
After his ninth season with the Maple Leafs ended in another disappointing playoff exit, Marner said he’s ready to face whatever comes his way when he returns to Toronto.
“I know it will be weird walking into the visitors side for once,” Marner said to NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger at the NHL/NHLPA North American Player Media Tour on Tuesday. “So, yeah, we’ll see how it goes. I mean, when that moment comes, we’ll take it head-on and see what happens.
“The good thing is that I know I’ll be going in there with a lot of guys on my side and 22 guys that are willing to do whatever it takes to win a hockey game. And I know there will be a lot of loved ones in the fans as well in the arena.”
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As far as how he feels about his career in Toronto coming to an end?
“It is what it is,” Marner said to Zeisberger. “I still have a lot of appreciation and love for a lot of people there.”
The two-time all-star winger leaves the Maple Leafs as their fifth-leading scorer in franchise history at 741 points in the regular season on 221 goals (14th) and 520 assists (fourth).
The 28-year-old’s 521 assists since his rookie season (2016-17) ranks fifth in the NHL, while he ranks eighth with 741 points.
How does the Markham, Ont., native hope he’s remembered in Toronto?
“Just a guy that tried, I guess, to help his hometown team accomplish great things,” Marner said. “I tried to wear that jersey with pride and honour every single time I could. Tried to give it everything I had. Unfortunately, we came up short.”
Marner and the Golden Knights will open the 2025-26 season on Oct. 8 against the Los Angeles Kings, which will officially begin what he calls a “new chapter” in his career.
“You want to be in a place where you want to win,” Marner said when he joined the Golden Knights on July 1. “That’s the whole goal of why we do this, you want to hoist that Stanley Cup. This team has shown that they can do it. I’m lucky enough now to hopefully bring another piece in to help bring it back here.”
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