Marner anticipates 'weird, special moment' in Toronto return with Vegas

TORONTO -- Mitch Marner is aware he could be lustily booed at Scotiabank Arena on Friday in his return to the hometown rink where he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs the previous nine seasons.

The Vegas Golden Knights forward said he’s prepared for whatever reception the Toronto fans give him.

“We’ll see in warmups,” he said.

Asked if it would be tough to be greeted with jeers, the 28-year-old replied: “Maybe, in a way. But not really.

“They’re going to probably do their thing to get me off my game and try to win their own game,” Marner said at the Golden Knights team hotel Friday morning. “So I'm just going to go out there … and focus on my thing. I got a lot of great players around me here to support me and help me out who have been through this before, so, yeah, I'll lean on them.

“I'm just going to try to go out there and just kind of realize it's another hockey game. Just go out there and do my thing.”

Last week, Marner got a small taste of the reaction that awaits him here when he heard boos from the smattering of Maple Leafs fans at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas during his first game against his former team, a 6-5 overtime Vegas victory on Jan. 15. Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said he was “disappointed” Marner had been treated that way but added that paying fans have the right to voice their opinions.

“Like I said after that game, it's a passionate fan base,” Marner said, adding he appreciated their support during his time with the Maple Leafs. “They travel well, and you know, they want to let their voices be heard.”

They certainly will when Marner steps onto the ice against the Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, SCRIPPS), the first time he’ll be playing here since a sign-and-trade with the Golden Knights on July 1.

Marner is from Thornhill, Ontario, just north of Toronto, and grew up cheering for the Maple Leafs. He was selected by Toronto with the No. 4 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft and went on to have 741 points (221 goals, 520 assists) in 657 games with the Maple Leafs, ranking him sixth on the franchise's all-time points list.

Toronto qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of Marner's nine seasons, but were eliminated in the first round seven times and advanced to the second round twice -- losing to the Florida Panthers in 2023 and again last season.

Then, last spring, he refused to waive his no-movement clause when the Maple Leafs were in negotiations for a potential trade with the Carolina Hurricanes for forward Mikko Rantanen. And when Marner subsequently did not sign a new contract with Toronto, he was sent to Vegas for forward Nicolas Roy in a sign-and-trade that netted him an eight-year, $96 million contract ($12 million average annual value) with the Golden Knights.

“I don't want to look back anymore,” he said. “Don't look in the past. I feel like I answered questions about that in the summer. Now it’s time to look ahead.”

He said there will be one moment of nostalgia, however, when the Maple Leafs are expected to show a video tribute honoring him during a commercial break in the first period.

“I'm sure it'll really hit once it starts going and stuff like that,” he said. "But yeah, I'm not trying to think about too much. I think it’s going to be a cool moment. I'm going to try to enjoy it, and then, you know, try to get back to hockey right away …

“I know it's going to be maybe a weird special moment, all in one.”

Toronto center John Tavares can attest to that.

Tavares played his first nine NHL seasons with the New York Islanders before signing a seven-year, $77 million contract ($11 million AAV) with the Maple Leafs on July 1, 2018. When he returned to Long Island to play the Islanders for the first time, on Feb. 28, 2019, fans jeered him throughout the game and threw snakes on the ice.

Tavares doesn’t expect Marner will receive the same reception from Toronto fans but knows it could be tough for his former teammate.

“I’m sure it’ll be a lot of different feelings,” Tavares said after the Maple Leafs morning skate. “You spend a large portion of your life, your career (in a place). A lot of people make an impact on it. I know, for me, still am, always will be, very grateful for that.

“I think there will be a lot of appreciation from him. But in the end, you put the gear on and got to go out there and play. I’m sure there will be a lot of things that he’s feeling, but end of the day, once the puck drops you just play and try to get the flow of the game.”

No matter how cold the reception might be.

“You’re on a different team now,” Tavares said. “So you can’t expect the same support.”