Mitch Marner reveals honest feelings on return to Toronto to play Maple Leafs

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There's the potential for a bit of conflict Friday night in Toronto.

The Maple Leafs are hosting the Vegas Golden Knights, and that means Mitch Marner back on the ice in his old stomping grounds.

Marner had spent his entire NHL career with the Leafs until the summer, when he made clear he didn't want to sign a new contract with Toronto.

That set up a sign-and-trade which sent Marner to Vegas on an eight-year contract and brought back Nicolas Roy to the Leafs.

Now, Marner is back in town with his new squad.

Naturally, that meant Marner was asked by a big Toronto media contingent on Friday afternoon about everything that went down. His response was pretty simple.

"I don't want to look back anymore," Marner told reporters, via Chris Johnston. "I don't want to look in the past."

Marner played his first 657 games for the Maple Leafs, making two All-Star teams as he became one of the best two-way forwards in hockey.

The native of Ontario has now played 49 games for Vegas. He has 12 goals and 40 assists, tracking for his eighth consecutive season of averaging more than a point per game.

Vegas slots first in the NHL's Pacific Division, while the Leafs are sixth in the Atlantic Division.

Marner's return will certainly up the heat for a game between two talented teams on Friday night, but it's not something Marner wants to be focused on. Something makes it seem like that'll probably be hard to avoid.

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