Ex-NHL exec expects 'nasty' welcome for Mitch Marner in Toronto following $96M Golden Knights sign-and-trade

Mitch Marner will likely get a cold welcome when he returns to Toronto next season. He returns to the city on Jan. 23. The Golden Knights play in Boston the night before, so there may be no media availability, and Marner might not speak to reporters before the game.

Former NHL executive Pierre McGuire expects fans to be upset. He compared it to when John Tavares returned to Long Island after joining the Maple Leafs. Fans were angry then, and McGuire thinks Toronto fans will react the same way to Marner.

Marner was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on July 1, signing an eight-year deal worth $96 million. It gives him a $12 million cap hit until the end of the 2032-33 season. He now wears the No. 93 jersey and will play right wing for Vegas.

In the 2024-25 regular season, Marner had 27 goals and 75 assists, finishing with 102 points in 82 games. However, his production dropped in the playoffs, recording just two goals and 11 assists in 13 games.

“It’d be nasty," McGuire said on Wednesday (02:32), via "Leafs Morning Take." It’ll be a lot like when Tavares went back to Long Island.”

When Tavares returned to Long Island for a game in 2018, fans were angry, and they brought protest signs and burned jerseys. Tavares was the captain of the Islanders before leaving in free agency. He signed with Toronto, and fans didn't forget that.

McGuire believes Leafs fans might feel the same way about Marner.

“They felt jilted,” McGuire said. “I think the same thing’s going to happen when Mitchell comes back for Toronto. I don't think there'll be any warm and fuzzy stuff when it goes on.”

Marner has spent his entire NHL career with the Toronto, and was considered a local star. However, now that he is starting a new chapter in Vegas, his return to the city will not be easy.

Mitch Marner reflected on emotional exit after nine seasons with Maple Leafs

Mitch Marner said goodbye to Toronto after nine seasons with the Maple Leafs.

“I didn’t think it would ever come to that day,” Marner said on July 1, via NHL.com.

He praised the city and fans while admitting the trade rumors last summer made things uncertain. Although he considered free agency, he chose Vegas when the opportunity came.

“I was so grateful to play there for nine years,” Marner said.

Marner was drafted at No. 4 by the Maple Leafs in 2015. He made his NHL debut in the 2016-17 season and played over 600 games with the team before the trade.

His biggest strength is creating scoring chances. Last season, he was among the top assist leaders.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez