Vegas Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner is gearing up to go head-to-head against his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, in an anticipated matchup on Thursday night. Despite the significance of the game, Marner, at 28 years old, has been keeping his focus on the present.
“I haven’t really dwelled on it until now,” Marner shared after the Golden Knights edged out the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 on Wednesday. “I’ve been concentrating on our games, preparing for each opponent. It might sink in more on the plane ride home that tomorrow is the big night. But to me, it’s just another hockey game.”
The hockey world, especially in Toronto, has been abuzz about Marner’s departure from the Maple Leafs during the offseason, especially with the team facing challenges early on. However, as the Leafs have shown improvement recently with a 7-3 record in their last ten games, the narrative is shifting.
“I’ve kept in touch with the [Maple Leafs players] throughout the season. I’m really close with many of them,” Marner added. “I check on how they’re doing, their families, as we’re like brothers.”
Originally chosen as the fourth overall pick in the 2015 draft, Marner played a pivotal role in Toronto’s rebuilding phase, notably forming a dynamic duo with Auston Matthews. Their partnership defined the Leafs’ offensive prowess for close to a decade.
During his tenure with the Leafs spanning nine seasons, Marner established himself as a top playmaker in the NHL, consistently maintaining a point-per-game pace and achieving over 90 points multiple times, reaching a career-high of 102 regular-season points in 2024-25.
Marner’s transfer to Vegas occurred through a high-profile sign-and-trade deal over the summer, resulting in Toronto acquiring Nicolas Roy and Marner inking an eight-year, $96 million contract with the Golden Knights.
Looking ahead to the faceoff, Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly downplayed the hype, telling The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel, “We’re not going to make a big deal out of it. It’s not a topic of discussion for us.”
As Marner, a newly named Olympian for Team Canada in men’s hockey in Milan, heads into the game on Thursday with 11 goals and 47 points in 45 games for first-place Vegas this season, the stage is set for an emotional reunion when he faces the Leafs once more on Jan. 23 in Toronto.
“It’s like a week apart,” Marner mentioned to Siegel. “It’ll be a unique experience to play against them again.”
The puck will drop for the highly-anticipated game at 9:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.