Analyst blasts NHL for failing to book Leafs-Knights clash and Mitch Marner's return to Toronto on a Saturday night

Mitch Marner is set to return to Toronto to face his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, at Scotiabank Arena.

This will be his first game back in Toronto since being traded to Vegas in a sign-and-trade deal late in June. Marner signed an eight-year, $96 million contract with the Golden Knights, carrying a $12 million annual cap hit.

The trade followed years of playoff disappointments in Toronto, where Marner, despite tallying 741 points in 657 games, faced criticism for the team’s inability to advance past the second round in nine playoff runs.

Mitch Marner's return game at Scotiabank Arena is anticipated to be emotionally charged, given how the 28-year-old's tenure with the Leafs ended.

However, hockey analyst Bryan Hayes criticized the NHL for not scheduling the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights, featuring Marner's return to Toronto, on a Saturday night.

On SportsCentre with Jay Onrait, Hayes called it a massive and predictable miss by the NHL:

(0:33 onwards)

"It’s a massive miss, but it’s a completely predictable miss. “It had to be on Saturday night. It should have been on Saturday night," Hayes said . "Marner and the Golden Knights should have been here on Friday after that game in Boston. Have a practice, a morning skate, have Marner speak with the media multiple times, and build it up because it’s such a great story."

Hayes lamented the lost opportunity to make the fixture a Saturday night spectacle, which would have amplified the event’s intensity and engagement in Canada’s biggest hockey night.

"Saturday night is the night. That’s the big hockey night in Toronto. That’s the big night for hockey in the country. It’s not Friday night. “I think it’s a massively missed opportunity. Unfortunately, it’s very predictable," he added.

Analyst predicts boos for Mitch Marner's return to Scotiabank Arena

NHL analyst E.J. Hradek predicted a hostile atmosphere when Mitch Marner returns to Scotiabank Arena as a Vegas Golden Knight. He expects significant booing from fans, attributing it to Marner’s decision to leave Toronto.

"Well, I think there's going to be a lot of booing. I mean, just because when a guy leaves and he chooses to leave and you know, some fans would say, hey, you put us in a tough spot because you didn't even give us that opportunity to trade you. So there'll be a lot of negative," he said.

Meanwhile, Mitch Marner will debut for the Vegas Golden Knights against the LA Kings in the season opener on Wednesday, October 8, at T-Mobile Arena. The puck drops at 10 p.m. ET.

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Edited by Abhishek Dilta