Browsing: Marner

‘Couple sleepless nights’: Marner reflects on decision to join Golden Knights

During an appearance on Saturday’s edition of “After Hours” with Scott Oake and Gary Lawless on Hockey Night in Canada, the longtime Leafs star and current Golden Knight shared his thought process during the biggest decision of his professional career.

“There were a couple sleepless nights,” he said after scoring his first two goals with Vegas in a win over the Calgary Flames. “Super tough. It was not an easy decision at all … Tried to make the best move that we thought was going to best for our family going forward.”

Marner, who grew up just outside Toronto, spent his first nine seasons with the Leafs filling up the score sheet every night. He set a career high last season with 102 points, and eclipsed 90 points three other times.

But while the point production was there in the regular season — he had 741 points in 657 games — he failed to replicate his stat-sheet success in the playoffs. In 70 post-season games, the winger notched 63 points and failed to register a goal in two first-round exits.

The Maple Leafs’ struggles in the post-season have been well documented over the Core Four era, advancing to the second round just twice. Marner, being a homegrown superstar, shouldered much of the blame for the team’s struggles.

Now in Vegas, Marner is ready for a fresh start and has embraced the challenges that come with changing teams for the first time in his NHL career.

“The guys in this locker room have been awesome,” the 28-year-old told Scott Oake. “Starting to really feel at home here in the last couple days and week really. I’m liking how it’s going, and just got to keep growing. I’m starting to really open up and just do my part as well.”

If eight points through six games and six over the last three is any indication, Marner is nice and cozy in his new home.

Source link

Hockey

Marner And Stone Score Twice To Lead Offensive Charge In Golden Knights’ 6-1 Win Over Calgary

Mitch Marner loves to “hear the love and the loudness” inside T-Mobile Arena, his new home arena with the Golden Knights.

Saturday he helped fuel the energy for an announced crowd of 17,811 by scoring his first two goals as a Knight, while Vegas cruised to a 6-1 win over the Calgary Flames.

Vegas (4-0-2) extended its season-opening point streak to six games.

Team captain Mark Stone finished with two goals and two assists, while Jack Eichel had four assists.

Tomas Hertl and Ivan Barbashev also scored for the Knights.

Adin Hill earned his first win of the season after stopping 26 shots, as he made his first start since exiting the game in Calgary on Tuesday.

“I felt in control the whole night,” Hill said. “They kept kind of looking for backdoor plays on the power play. And I was just trying to kind of stay in my net and keep my feet under me and do everything I came to be in position.”

And while the Flames finished 1 of 3 on the power play, Vegas was a perfect 3 of 3 with the man advantage.

The Golden Knights rank second in the NHL with their power play percentage (37.5%).

“It’s pretty fun,” Marner said of the power play. “So many different threats out there that make plays. For me, it’s just trying to find open ice for Jack to make his play. … They’ve done a great job down low, really making teams play in different areas there. It’s been a lot of fun to watch.”

Marner opened the scoring just 46 seconds into the game, bringing the home crowd to life immediately. But it was the 28-year-old forward’s crafty stick work that sent the crowd into a frenzy near the end of the second period.

Marner extended Vegas’ lead to four goals when he gathered a pass from Stone during a power play, skated to the front of the crease and used a forehand-backhand deke to beat Calgary netminder Dustin Wolf

Marner now has eight points on the year, after assisting on six goals in the first five games.

Eichel, who extended his season-opening point streak to six games after finishing with four assists, owns the franchise record for the most points through the club’s first six games of the season. His 15 points lead the league, while his five multi-point games are the most by any skater this season.

Stone is second in the league with 13 points, including an NHL-high 11 assists. Eichel is just behind him with 10 helpers.

Stone left the game in the third period after falling to the ice near the neutral zone, and immediately went to the locker room. Television replays showed him rotating his wrist. Cassidy said there were no immediate updates and he would know more by Monday’s morning skate ahead of Vegas’ game against Carolina.

Hertl, who scored his third goal of the season, played in the 797th game of his career. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Hertl will play in his 800th career game on Oct. 26 in Tampa, on the second of a back-to-back after visiting two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida.

Source link

Vegas Golden Knights team preview: Mitch Marner adds more star power

This past off-season for the Vegas Golden Knights was defined by a major addition, with top free agent Mitch Marner joining from the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, it was also marked by a significant loss, as Alex Pietrangelo announced a step back from hockey due to ongoing injury concerns.

Regardless of these changes, the Golden Knights are once again expected to contend for the Stanley Cup as they head into the 2025-26 campaign, their ninth in the league. Coming off a first-place finish in the Pacific Division — becoming just the second expansion-era team to win at least four division titles in their first eight seasons — and a second-round playoff exit, Vegas is poised to make another run at the trophy theyâ€ve competed for twice and lifted once.

When their post-season run ended in May against the Edmonton Oilers, Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon reflected on the loss at his year-end media availability, calling it “a missed opportunity because I felt our team was good enough to win.†He added that the group “genuinely believed we had what it takes†and that it was “disappointing because we fell short of what we anticipated we would.â€

Since entering the league in 2017-18, the Golden Knights have carried an expectation to win, which has helped build a strong culture and identity along with consistent, tangible success. As Jack Eichel recently told NHL.com, “Our standard is the Stanley Cup. Expectations are super high. I think thatâ€s a great problem.â€

Apart from the Marner trade, in which Nicolas Roy was sent to Toronto, the other noteworthy moves the Golden Knights†front office made this past summer were re-signing Reilly Smith and Brandon Saad to one-year contracts, locking up Kaeden Korczak on a four-year deal, acquiring Colton Sissons and Jeremy Lauzon from the Nashville Predators in exchange for Nicolas Hague and a 2027 conditional third-round pick and letting unrestricted free agents Tanner Pearson, Victor Olofsson and Ilya Samsonov walk. They also drafted four players in June: Jakob Ihs-Wozniak (55th overall), Mateo Nobert (85th), Alex Weiermair (186th) and Gustav Sjoqvist (187th).

With their season and home opener exactly a week away — Oct. 8 against the Los Angeles Kings — our 32-teams-in-32-days preview series now shifts to the entertainment capital of the world.

  • 32 Thoughts: The Podcast
  • 32 Thoughts: The Podcast

    Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.

    Latest episode

Newcomer to watch: Mitch Marner

Coming from an intense hockey market like Toronto, Marner is used to having lots of eyes on him. After leaving the only NHL organization heâ€s known — where he played his first nine seasons — the star forward is set to remain in the spotlight as he begins a new chapter in Vegas with an eight-year, $96 million contract in hand. Ample curiosity will follow Marner, not just to see how he fares with his new team, but also how the Maple Leafs adjust now that the Core Four has been disbanded.

Marner, 28, recorded a career-high 102 points in 81 games last season, the most on the Maple Leafs and the fifth-highest total in the NHL. His 75 assists were also a career-best, ranking third league-wide. Joining a Golden Knights team that finished fifth in the league in goals per game in 2024-25 (3.34), the three-time all-starâ€s elite offensive touch should help vault their attack to another level. With nine straight playoff appearances in Toronto and 63 points in 70 games during that stretch, heâ€ll also inject more post-season experience into an already seasoned lineup.

Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy has hinted at trying Marner and Eichel together on the top line, though it remains to be seen how well the two stars will mesh. â€œSometimes on paper you look at chemistry and think itâ€s going to work, and it doesnâ€t,†said Cassidy. “And sometimes other lines just come together naturally. So that, to me, is a little bit unpredictable.†He also pointed out that “those guys both like to hang onto the puck.â€

Heading into a contract year, Dorofeyev is positioned for a notable payday if he can match or build on last seasonâ€s production. The 24-year-old Russian is in the second season of a two-year, $3.67 million deal and is set to become a restricted free agent after 2025-26. Heâ€s coming off a breakout campaign in which he set career highs across the board — playing all 82 games and posting 35 goals, 17 assists and 52 points — while recording a 13.8 shooting percentage and averaging 16:32 of ice time. His goal total led all Golden Knights skaters, and his 13 power-play markers were just one shy of the single-season franchise record Tomas Hertl set with 14.

Currently sidelined with a lower-body injury suffered in Vegas†second pre-season game against the Kings, itâ€s unclear if Dorofeyev will be ready for opening night. His name is being floated as a candidate to join Eichel and Marner on the left side, though Ivan Barbashev has been given the first go. Pairing last seasonâ€s team goals leader with two of the leagueâ€s top playmakers seems like a natural fit. Dorofeyev spent most of last year alongside Hertl and Saad and on the top power-play unit, but if he does get time with Eichel and Marner and the additional opportunities that come with that, another breakout season with even bigger numbers is well within reach.

The Golden Knights donâ€tboast the deepest of prospect pools, hardly surprising considering theyâ€ve made only two first-round picks and two second-round picks over the past four drafts, and just four total selections in each of the last three. But currently at the top of their list is forward Trevor Connelly, taken 19th overall in 2024 from the USHLâ€s Tri-City Storm, the organizationâ€s earliest pick since selecting Peyton Krebs 17th overall five years earlier.

Connelly, 19, spent the 2024-25 season at Providence College, where he posted four goals and nine assists in 23 games as a freshman. Days after his NCAA season ended, Connelly signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Vegas and joined the AHLâ€s Henderson Silver Knights, posting a goal and three assists in six games. He also recorded four points in seven games for the gold medal-winning United States at the most recent World Juniors tournament. As he makes the jump to pro hockey, Connelly is expected to spend the 2025-26 season in Henderson.

1. Will Jack Eichel sign an extension during the season?

Since acquiring Jack Eichel from the Buffalo Sabres in November 2021, the Golden Knights have made him a cornerstone of their roster. Heâ€s coming off a 2024-25 season in which he set career highs in assists (66), points (94), average ice time (20:32), shooting percentage (12.0), power-play points (34), and plus-minus (plus-32) over 77 games. Eligible to sign an extension since July 1, the 28-year-old is entering the final year of his eight-year, $80 million contract.

Eichel has nearly averaged a point per game over his career, with 608 points in 616 contests between Buffalo and Vegas, plus 43 points in 40 playoff appearances. In May, shortly after Vegas was eliminated from the post-season, GM Kelly McCrimmon called re-signing Eichel “an important order of business†and emphasized his value, saying, “Heâ€s one of the top guys in the NHL. Heâ€s got great character and great leadership. You see night in and night out what he does for our team.â€

Following Kirill Kaprizovâ€s record-setting extension with the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, Sportsnetâ€s Elliotte Friedman suggested the eight-year, $136-million deal could raise Eichelâ€s asking price. “And Iâ€m not sure Vegas is comfortable with that,†said Friedman. “I just donâ€t think the two sides are comfortable where theyâ€re at yet, but what I do think is it gives Eichel and the Golden Knights a better idea of what theyâ€re really dealing with.â€

2. How big a hole does Alex Pietrangeloâ€s absence leave?

In a statement released on June 30, Pietrangelo announced that, after consulting with doctors and his family, it had been decided that he would step away from hockey to allow his body to recover from a hip issue that he had played through for most of last season and into the playoffs. At the time, it sounded as though the defencemanâ€s career might effectively be over. But just a few months later, Pietrangelo walked back some of the implied permanence of his decision, telling reporters, “Nothing is really concrete. Iâ€m just going to continue to take it day by day and go throughout my process and see where it goes.â€

The 35-year-old led the Golden Knights in average ice time (22:24) last season across 71 games, and again in the playoffs (23:03). His 7,823 total regular-season minutes over the past six seasons are over 800 ahead of the next closest Golden Knight, Brayden McNabb. He also led the team in shifts during that span with 8,750. Vegas still has a strong blue line, led now by Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin, and McCrimmon has identified 24-year-old Kaedan Korczak as a defenceman poised to take on a bigger role. According to McCrimmon, Pietrangelo himself has voiced confidence that Korczak is “ready to be a really good NHL player for a long time.â€

3. Could they land Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames?

And on the note of filling a hole on defence… with Andersson likely to depart the Flames before the March trade deadline, itâ€s not hard to imagine Vegas taking a swing at him, given their history of bold moves. Entering the final season of a six-year deal with a $4.55 million cap hit, the pending free agent is expected to be a hot commodity. Over the summer, rumours circulated that Andersson was only interested in signing with one team — the Golden Knights — though he denied that, saying it “couldnâ€t be further from the truth†and that he “would never handcuff (GM Craig Conroy) and give him one team.â€

Still, Vegas may very well be at the top of his list in terms of a sign-and-trade scenario, as The Athleticâ€s Pierre LeBrun reported at the end of June. However, according to LeBrun, the Flames werenâ€t excited about what the Golden Knights were offering at the time. While Andersson doesnâ€t need to be extended to be moved, and he only has a six-team no-trade list, sending the right-shot somewhere heâ€d be willing to sign long term would likely bring the best return. Although Vegas is currently well over the cap, Pietrangeloâ€s move to LTIR starts to open the door, and the team has shown it can make the necessary maneuvers and adjustments in these scenarios. Andersson would be a suitable replacement and could slot in next to his former teammate Hanifin.

Source link

Hockey

‘Can’t complain; I’m liking life’: Mitch Marner begins his Vegas era

  • blank

    Kristen ShiltonOct 1, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

    Close

      Kristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.

SUMMERLIN, Nevada — Enter the Vegas Golden Knights practice facility and you’re met by a barrage of team logos, mascot drawings and even a faux brick-wall backdrop to the ice sheet reflecting the club’s established — and beloved — “Fortress” theme.

It’s the team store, though, that’s putting the team’s present — and future — on full display. Amid a selection of VGK-branded hoodies and jackets lined up outside, there’s only one player’s jersey in sight: Mitch Marner’s.

Hardly a surprising choice, given that Marner is already the talk of the town.

“You heard of this new guy they got?” the taxi driver asks when he sees that the Golden Knights’ arena is the destination. “Mitch Marner. He’s supposed to be pretty good.”

The winger’s reputation clearly preceded him to the desert. At this point, Marner had yet to even suit up in one of Vegas’ preseason games but there was anticipation to see him in action — or even get a glimpse of him at the rink.

Fans in Marner sweaters crowded the floor to watch one of Vegas’ morning skates and see him flanking new linemates Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev. Afterward, they waited for him on the sidewalk outside — one fan holding a hand-painted picture they hoped he’d see and sign — to show their enthusiasm over the arrival of Vegas’ projected new star.

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

The hype is befitting of Marner’s departure from his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs to join the Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade deal culminating with the signing of a massive eight-year, $96 million contract on June 30. At the time, Marner was a pending unrestricted free agent who, as the 2024-25 season wore on, appeared increasingly unlikely to re-sign in Toronto, for reasons that Marner later revealed included increasing harassment toward his family from local fans. So, the Leafs found a suitor in Vegas and received depth forward Nicolas Roy in return for their 102-point contributor.

A tough blow for Toronto? Absolutely. But Marner seemingly has no regrets as he embarks on this next chapter.

“Can’t complain; I’m liking life,” Marner told ESPN in September. “It’s been good. There is nice weather, and no traffic has been a nice little treat [coming from Toronto]. I’ve had a lot of love shown to [my family] so far through our time here, which has been amazing. A lot of excited fans. I want to go out there and do my thing and try to just keep doing what I’ve been doing the past years and contributing to help the team win games.”

Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon bet big on Marner being able to do just that. He’d been eyeing the 28-year-old since the NHL’s trade deadline in March, calling him an “elite playmaker and tremendous passer” who is expected to elevate Vegas’ top-line attack.

That sort of talent doesn’t come cheap, though, and it wasn’t until the Golden Knights put defenseman Alex Pietrangelo on long-term injured reserve with a potentially career-ending leg issue that Vegas had enough cap space to make Marner one of the highest-paid players in the league.

Marner has the regular-season résumé to back up that sort of financial commitment. Since entering the league in 2016-17, Marner has recorded 520 assists (fifth most among all NHL players) and 741 points (eighth most). But translating that success into the postseason has been a different story, at least in Toronto. And that’s only one narrative Marner will have to overcome if he’s to fulfill the lofty expectations in Vegas.

“He was our target; he was the player we wanted,” McCrimmon said. “I think [his addition] will improve our team tremendously.”

IT’S A RARITY in today’s NHL that a marquee player such as Marner actually moves on.

All of ESPN. All in one place.

blank

Watch your favorite events in the newly enhanced ESPN App. Learn more about what plan is right for you. Sign Up Now

Toronto drafted him No. 4 in 2015 to actualize his childhood dream of one day being a Maple Leaf. He spent nine seasons as part of the organization’s infamously dubbed “Core Four,” a moniker applied to Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander — all Leafs’ draftees — and John Tavares when he came on board as a free agent in 2018. It was Tavares who, previous to Marner, made arguably the league’s most scrutinized free agent decision in recent years when he left the New York Islanders — as their captain no less — to sign with his hometown Leafs instead.

In time, Toronto would invest over half of its salary cap in those four skaters without getting the returns for which it had hoped. Pressure to perform intensified around that group each year that Toronto floundered in the postseason, having now recorded seven first-round or qualifying-round playoff losses in the nine straight years they claimed a playoff spot.

In particular, Marner and Matthews bore the brunt of criticism for the Leafs’ lack of achievement when it mattered most. Their impact wasn’t high enough. They didn’t mirror the opponent’s top skaters. Too invisible. Too disappointing.

Marner and the “Core Four” Leafs never found much team success in the postseason. Claus Andersen/Getty Images

On the heels of an especially crushing finish to another postseason run last spring — in which the Leafs blew a 2-0 second-round series lead over the Florida Panthers to fall in seven games — Marner was primed for a fresh start, even as the Leafs made their own aggressive pitches to keep him in the fold.

The lure of Las Vegas loomed.

“Once I heard they had interest, we were pretty interested right back,” Marner said. “This team, they’ve got a lot of skill. They got a lot of guys that really know what to do to win and buy into it. All I heard was amazing things about it here.”

Fantasy hockey essentials

• Which league is right for you?
• Position tiers: Forwards | Defensemen
• Goalie guide | Category/Roto picks
• Projections | Mock draft lobby
• Rankings | Best team names
• Greg Wyshynski’s 10 players to draft
• Sign up and play for free today!

Still, transitioning to another lineup after nearly a decade alongside the same teammates isn’t easy, especially when there’s certain standards to uphold. The Golden Knights are coming off another strong season in which they finished third overall in the league standings — one spot ahead of the Leafs — and had the fifth-best offense (averaging 3.34 goals).

Marner’s task will be finding ways to make Vegas even more fearsome up front. Coach Bruce Cassidy paired Marner with Eichel immediately in training camp and they’ve worked hard to build a rapport along with Barbashev. Eichel went into the partnership with an open mind and some familiarity with Marner from their past as part of the same draft class — Eichel was selected No. 2 that year by Buffalo. He has been impressed by Marner when they’ve battled on the ice in the years since then.

“I always had a really high respect for his game,” Eichel said. “So, nothing has surprised me about him coming in here. I knew the type of player he is. He could make a lot of plays, and he’s got a really creative hockey mind, and he moves so well. There’s a lot to love about his game. But he’s obviously a great guy, too. He’s really easy to get along with. He keeps it pretty light. He’s been a great addition to our locker room.”

Marner is hoping to follow Eichel’s lead there as well. The Golden Knights have a certain character that appeals to Marner, one that’s loud and familial and propelled by some well-placed barbs he’s looking to match.

“Jack’s pretty good at chirping,” Marner said with a laugh. “I’m going to join the group here soon enough doing more of that. I like to hear it too. Lot of loud mouths in here, which is great. I like that. And I like the high energy and the back and forth. If you want to be a part of a team, you want to have guys poking one another. It’s been a lot of fun to be here.”

Jack Eichel (9) and Marner hope that the fist bumps and celebrations this preseason will be followed by many more in the regular season and Stanley Cup playoffs. Zak Krill/NHLI via Getty Images

That’s not to say Marner and Eichel also haven’t been putting in the work. Marner has benefited from playing with Matthews — one the NHL’s elite centers — for all of his career to date. Eichel is a top-tier pivot in his own right, but finding a rhythm with Marner has called for its own adjustments — and patience.

“You’re going to see things differently at times, and it’s just being open with your dialogue,” Eichel said of creating chemistry. “Just listening, reading off each other a bit, and just trying to jell and become closer off the ice as well. I always think that helps.”

Marner acknowleged it’s “a bit of a challenge” to find the right timing with a new center. The two were able to connect when they did finally appear in a preseason game, with Marner notching an assist on Eichel’s goal against Utah last Thursday. Marner had admired how Eichel carried himself even before that exhibition play. Cassidy’s decision to start them on a line was probably inevitable, but Marner could see independently that their skill sets would naturally align.

“He’s got that aura, just got the swagger into him,” Marner said. “He’s got that calmness out there. It looks like he’s not moving so fast, but his speed is outrageous. He gets really going quickly. And for me, it’s just trying to utilize that as much as I can, trying to find him in spots where maybe it’s not a direct pass, it’s laying a puck in the area and trusting his speed to get in. I’ll find areas that he can make plays into because his vision and his ability to make plays is really high-end.”

THERE’S A LIGHTNESS and excitement to Marner’s tone as he talks about his role with the Golden Knights, whether stationed with Eichel at 5-on-5 or quarterbacking Vegas’ top power-play unit. That spot is generally occupied by a defenseman, but Leafs coach Craig Berube eventually made Marner the man up top in Toronto last season, and he excelled.

Vegas wasn’t necessarily looking to upgrade its power play — it ranked No. 2 in 2024-25 at 28.3% — but given Marner’s experience, Cassidy slotted him there again as the club got to work on special teams in camp.

Cassidy leaned on his own instincts and recent past when it came to finding a home for Marner. Cassidy ran the power play for Team Canada at the Nations Face-off in February, doing a deep dive on his players — including Marner — to piece together optimal units. He had also seen the Leafs’ power play frequently — in the regular season and twice during playoffs — while coaching the Boston Bruins from 2017 to 2022, giving him a unique perspective on Marner’s evolution there.

Breaking News from Emily Kaplan

blank

Download the ESPN app and enable Emily Kaplan’s news alerts to receive push notifications for the latest updates first. Opt in by tapping the alerts bell in the top right corner. For more information, click here.

“Midway through the year [in 2024-25], they used him on the top, as a five-forward look,” Cassidy said. “When I was in Boston, he was on one of the flanks. Was on a lot on his forehand when Mike Babcock was coaching him [in Toronto]. Matthews was a forehand guy. They’ve always had Tavares in the bumper. I probably know way too much about Toronto’s power play [by now] … [but] we had a very good power play last year. We’re mindful of that, so we want to build off that without tearing that down. But obviously we have a new piece that’s very good.”

Cassidy wants the “best fit” for Marner. If the player has any say, that will include being Vegas’ proverbial eye in the sky on the man advantage going forward.

“I find I can walk the line pretty well and make plays,” Marner said. “I’m not really trying to overshoot to score. I’m trying to shoot for sticks and make plays. It’s not like I have the craziest, hardest shot of all time, obviously. But if there’s an opportunity that I could walk in and try to find it and pick a spot, I’m going to try to do that and be tricky.”

Marner’s playmaking ability led to his being used as the power-play quarterback in Toronto — a role he could reprise for Vegas. David Becker/NHLI via Getty Images

Deception might be a hallmark of Marner’s playmaker mentality on the ice. He tried to be straightforward about why he left Toronto behind.

In an interview with TSN at Hockey Canada’s Olympic orientation camp in August, Marner opened up about harassment he and his family — including his wife, Stephanie, and newborn son, Miles — were subjected to over the final years of his Leafs’ tenure. He detailed how fans were posting his address online following the Leafs’ 6-1 loss in Game 7 of their second-round series against Florida last May, and his agent Darren Ferris said on the “100% Hockey Podcast” that they had to hire former NHL security personnel to deal with situations like “people throwing stuff in [Marner’s] yard.”

Leafs’ general manager Brad Treliving responded to Marner’s comments with assurances that the organization is fully committed to protecting its players.

“In our business, your No. 1 priority is looking after your players, and I think we do a really good job of it,” Treliving said. “I don’t have any concerns that we don’t do everything humanly possible to make sure that they’re looked after.”

Marner said being targeted by fans wasn’t the only reason he wanted out of Toronto. But it did make it “tough” to consider staying.

“When your family’s safety comes into question, especially having a new son, I don’t think it’s acceptable,” he told TSN.

THE MARNERS HAVE SINCE received a warm reception in their new community, and found they’ve fit right in. Most of the Golden Knights live in similar neighborhoods near the practice facility, and it has made for easy bonding.

“We are settled in now,” Marner said. “Getting to know the group really well. The family’s obviously settling in too, which is very important. We’re getting there. We’ve unboxed the whole house. We’re feeling at home now. The wives have been really open and accepting and very kind to [Stephanie], inviting her out, getting to know them.

“Our area, there’s about six or eight of us [teammates] around each other, so that’s been nice. She’s been going for nice walks with them, and all the kids, the dogs. So, it’s been good for her. We’re really enjoying it.”

ESPN Draft Coverage

Stay up to date with the latest intel from ESPN’s experts.
MLB: McDaniel’s 2025 MLB draft recap »
NBA: 2025 draft value picks, risky moves »
NFL: Early 2026 first-round predictions »
NHL: 2026 draft class watch list »
WNBA: Top 15 prospects for 2026 draft »

Another factor for Marner was the chance to capitalize on the Golden Knights’ often relentless pursuit of a championship. Vegas appeared in the Cup Final during its inaugural 2016 season and won the trophy in 2023. The Golden Knights have been to the playoffs in seven of their first eight seasons as a franchise, and advanced to the second round or beyond in five of those appearances.

That pedigree as a perennial contender with a willingness to do whatever it takes was hard to ignore.

“Definitely, I think you see it every year, that they are not afraid to go for it and make big moves,” Marner said. “So that’s something that excites you as well, and it’s what you want to be a part of. There’s a lot of guys in this locker room that [won] before a couple years ago, and that energizes you too.”

It’s a good thing Marner feels that way — because Eichel is blunt about where the Golden Knights see themselves now that he has one of the league’s premier wingers on his flank.

“Our expectation,” Eichel said, “is to win the Stanley Cup.”

Many of the Golden Knights who won the Cup in 2023 remain on the roster. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

That journey will begin in earnest when the new NHL season begins for the Golden Knights on Oct. 8 at home against the Los Angeles Kings. It’ll be Marner’s first real taste of playing for some place other than Toronto, with months to go before a meeting against his former teammates on Jan. 23.

The enhanced ESPN App

blank

Watch your favorite events in the newly upgraded ESPN App. Learn more about what plan is right for you. Sign Up Now

That leaves plenty of time for Marner to emotionally prepare for a return — and whatever reception he receives from a passionate fan base that missed out on seeing him help Toronto end its league-high 57-year Cup drought.

And there are also the Olympics to consider. Marner relished his time helping Team Canada to gold at 4 Nations, and he’s also a strong contender to make the country’s roster for the 2026 Games in Milan.

That possibility isn’t top of mind for Marner right now. He’s just ready to embrace the moment at hand in Vegas: a new opportunity, a clean slate, and the chance to make the most of new memories.

“It’ll be really exciting, I know I’ve got a lot of family coming into town for that one,” Marner said of Vegas’ opener. “I know Miles will be on the glass, which will be a lot of fun to see him for the first time, just his facial expressions and stuff like that will be really cool.

“I’m just excited to see the building rocking. It’s always a loud building, it’s always pretty rowdy and crazy and I’m excited to feel the love on the other side of it.”

Source link

Toronto Maple Leafs team preview: What will life without Marner look like?

The Toronto Maple Leafs are entering their third season under the guidance of GM Brad Treliving, their second with coach Craig Berube at the helm and the first since 2015-16 without Mitch Marner on the team.

It will be fascinating to see what it all adds up to.

Any time you lose a player of Marnerâ€s level, youâ€re going to feel it. Since he entered the league in 2016-17, the only full-time wingers with more points than Marnerâ€s 741 are Nikita Kucherov (845), Artemi Panarin (793) and David Pastrnak (780). And, for what itâ€s worth, none of those guys have ever come close to being a Selke Trophy finalist like Marner was in 2023.

Still, those in a rush to write off this Buds squad do so at their own peril, as the bones of a quality team remain.

While Joseph Woll is currently on a leave from the club for personal reasons, he and Anthony Stolarz — if they can stay even reasonably healthy — should form a formidable goalie tandem. And two guys who joined the Leafs at the trade deadline last season — defenceman Brandon Carlo and centre Scott Laughton — will now get a full run with the team and should settle into becoming important players on this squad.

And what about this winger who played on the first line the past couple years and is still very much in the fold? Matthew Knies inked a six-year deal with Toronto in the summer and, at 22 years old, the six-foot-three, 232-pounder feels like heâ€s just fully entering beast mode.

Between Knies, William Nylander, John Tavares and Auston Matthews, the Leafs could very easily have four guys who bury 30-plus goals this season, with Matthews and Nylander extremely capable of pushing toward 50.

Even without Marner, offence shouldnâ€t be a problem. As always, though, Toronto will be trying to show it can do enough in other areas of the game to be a top-tier contender.

Our look at 32 NHL teams in 32 days continues with the most-watched team in hockey.

  • 32 Thoughts: The Podcast
  • 32 Thoughts: The Podcast

    Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.

    Latest episode

Acquired for a third-round pick in the final season of his three-year contract, Matias Maccelli could get a golden opportunity to make his next NHL deal a banger.

One season removed from a 57-point showing with the Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24, Maccelli is in the mix to start on the Leafs†top line with two guys — Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies — who grew up watching the Coyotes franchise Maccelli used to represent. Whether we call them the ‘Arizona 3†or simply the ‘4M Line,†you can see the potential for fireworks.

Maccelli may not have the same skill level as the old M.M., who used to twirl on that trio, but he could still prove to be a very threatening skater playing beside more talent than he ever did in the desert or mountains.

McMann spent a chunk of last season skating with John Tavares and William Nylander on the second line and is going to get a top-six crack again this fall. The late-blooming McMann, 29, hit the 20-goal barrier for the first time in his NHL career last season and, at six-foot-two and 215 pounds, coach Craig Berube would love to see the Alberta boy provide a pugnacious element to a line with a couple of really talented players.

“Bobby could take another step in his game,†Berube said during the first full week of training camp. “Especially playing with those two guys. Getting those guys the puck more, getting to the net more, things like that. I like a big guy with those guys to forecheck, get in there and create loose pucks.â€

In a perfect world, the Leafs would have Knies making life miserable on goalies and defencemen with the first line, while McMann could do some version of the same thing on the second unit.

It was two years ago now that Cowan, after being a surprise first-rounder by the squad, burst onto the scene during training camp in 2023. Heâ€s dominated major junior hockey since then and will turn pro — whether with the Leafs or AHLâ€s Marlies — this fall.

Before Cowan was a monster point-producer with the OHLâ€s London Knights, he forged his identity as a dog-on-bone worker who would do anything to help the team. Even if you donâ€t believe heâ€ll be a high-end producer right away in the NHL — and, hey, who knows? — Cowan can be the kind of relentless player who chips in offence and smothers opponents in a middle-six role.

“Physically, he looks a lot stronger,†said Leafs winger Steven Lorentz, who lined up beside Cowan in a pre-season game. “His play with the puck and the passes he makes, the vision he has, is world-class. So, itâ€s only a matter of time. If itâ€s not right away, itâ€ll be very soon.â€

Indeed, it feels like even if Cowan doesnâ€t break camp with the club and heads to the AHL, itâ€s only a matter of time before he makes his big-league debut — and stays put for a long, long time.

1. What, exactly, will life without Mitch Marner look like?

Until the Leafs start playing games for real, itâ€s impossible to know all the ways Marnerâ€s absence will hurt the squad. The rubber will simply have to meet the ice on this one before things fully crystallize.

While weâ€ve touched on both Matias Maccelli and Bobby McMann above, itâ€s also worth noting that Max Domi will factor into the top-six-winger conversation as well. With the Leafs now quite deep at centre — Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Scott Laughton and Nicolas Roy, who came over from Vegas as part of the Marner sign-and-trade to Vegas — Domi will surely spend most of his time on the flank.

The Leafs’ only true puck-mover had a rough 2024-25, registering 41 points in 82 games for his lowest points-per-game mark (.50) since the 2016-17 campaign.

The good news, though, is that Rielly was paired with righty Brandon Carlo after the latter was acquired at the trade deadline, and the duo took. According to Moneypuck, Rielly and Carlo played roughly 220 minutes together and had an expected goals percentage of 58.5 per cent, the best number posted by any Leafs pair that skated at least 200 minutes together.

In the playoffs, Rielly and Carlo played another 172 minutes together and had a team-best expected goals percentage of 49.3 per cent.

In the past, Rielly has suffered from having to flip over and play the right side as a lefty. With Carlo now entrenched as his partner, maybe the 31-year-old can get closer to being the defenceman who collected some Norris Trophy votes three seasons ago in 2021-22.

One area where life could really improve for Rielly is on the power play. With Marnerâ€s departure, the Leafs will abandon the five-forward PP1 they used last year and install Rielly as PPQB on the blueline. If he can get off to a strong start there, maybe the points — and overall good vibes — will snowball.

3. Will this be an ‘on†year for Auston Matthews?

Matthews†goal totals have yo-yoed the past few years, going from 60 in 2022 to 40 in â€23, way up to a mind-blowing 69 in 2024 and back down to 33 in an injury-marred 2024-25 campaign.

On one hand, without Marner, you might assume Matthews will have trouble becoming a 60-goal guy again. I mean, thatâ€s a lot to ask of anyone in any circumstances.

That said, this is a three-time Rocket Richard winner who possesses one of the deadliest releases the league has ever seen. Obviously, both Matthews and the team would love to see him play 80-plus games this year. If he does, regardless of who heâ€s skating beside, a goal-scoring crown should be on the table.

Source link

Mitch Marner notches assist in pre-season debut for Golden Knights

Mitch Marner didn’t take long to make an impact for his new team — albeit in a low-stakes situation.

Making his pre-season debut for the Vegas Golden Knights, Marner set up Jack Eichel for the club’s first goal midway through the third period against the visiting Utah Mammoth on Thursday night.

Marner made a nice backhand pass from behind the goal line to the slot for Eichel, who beat Mammoth goalie Vitek Vanecek to cut Utah’s lead to 2-1. Vegas went on to win 3-2.

“There’s not a lot of people in the world who can make that pass,” Eichel said in a post-game interview.

Golden Knights fans will be quite happy if they see similar scenes many times this season. The team hopes to establish strong chemistry between two former rivals from the Atlantic Division.

Head coach Bruce Cassidy liked what he saw from the Eichel, Marner and Shea Theodore trio and said he’s sure “those three guys will play together in overtime quite a bit.â€

Marner, of course, was sent to the Golden Knights by the Toronto Maple Leafs in a sign-and-trade this past summer. He reached an eight-year, $96-million deal with the Golden Knights.

The Thornhill, Ont. native had 741 points in 657 career games with his hometown team, but the Leafs failed to get past the second round during Marner’s time in Toronto.

Eichel also scored the tying goal Thursday late in the third period and then assisted on Theodore’s overtime winner.

Source link