Marner prepared to face Toronto homecoming 'head-on' with Golden Knights

HENDERSON, Nev. -- Mitch Marner moved into his new home on Sept. 3 and says he’s yet to be recognized in public.

That certainly won’t be the case when the forward returns to Toronto for the first time as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 23.

How will he be received? And what will be going through his mind at Scotiabank Arena while playing against a Maple Leafs team that he was a part of from 2016-25?

“I know it will be weird walking into the visitors side for once,” the 28-year-old said at the NHL/NHLPA North American Player Media Tour on Tuesday. “So, yeah, we’ll see how it goes. I mean, when that moment comes, we’ll take it head-on and see what happens.

“The good thing is that I know I’ll be going in there with a lot of guys on my side and 22 guys that are willing to do whatever it takes to win a hockey game. And I know there will be a lot of loved ones in the fans as well in the arena.

“I’m sure once the season gets going I won’t think about it as much just because I like to be in the present, in the moment. But once that week hits, I’m sure it will start hitting about what the thoughts and feeling might be like.”

Marner approved a sign-and-trade from the Maple Leafs to the Golden Knights on July 1, ending his era in Toronto and beginning a new one in Nevada.

“It is what it is,” he said. “I still have a lot of appreciation and love for a lot of people there.”

Marner, who could have become an unrestricted free agent, signed an eight-year, $96 million contract ($12 million average annual value) with the Maple Leafs prior to the trade. Toronto received forward Nicolas Roy in return.

Marner, his wife Stephanie, and 5-month-old son Miles are getting acclimatized to their new digs in the western suburbs of Las Vegas, not far from the team’s practice facility in Summerlin. Although he said he’s received a warm welcome from teammates and their families already, fans have not stopped him yet, a far different vibe from his time in Toronto.

That will likely change once the season begins and the Golden Knights’ rabid fan base gets the chance to see No. 93 play in person.

“I find that when you’re sitting down anywhere in Toronto or Muskoka, you always notice people from far away with the phones and the cameras, and even a couple of them stopping you and asking,” he said. “It’s just been different here. People know their hockey here but it’s not all the time. I’ve got nothing bad to say about the way it was, but it’s definitely a new perspective.

“The time change is a little bit new to us at the start of things, but now everyone’s changed into it. It’s been great. It’s been a lot of fun, waking up early mornings with the [baby’s] smiles, and then going downstairs, sitting on the patio furniture and looking at the mountains, just relaxing.

“The team has been great, and so have the players and all the wives, making us feel at home and helping out Steph too.”

In the meantime, questions related to his reasons for leaving Toronto and when he first had an inkling to do so are answered with the theme of, “just focusing on starting a new chapter.”

Even so, how would he like his time in Toronto to be remembered? He was selected by the Maple Leafs with the No. 4 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft and had 741 points (221 goals, 520 assists) in 657 games over his nine seasons there.

“Just a guy that tried, I guess, to help his hometown team accomplish great things,” he said. “I tried to wear that jersey with pride and honor every single time I could. Tried to give it everything I had. Unfortunately, we came up short.

“Now I’m here, and like I keep saying, it’s a new chapter. And I’m excited. I’m excited to have my son at my first game and wearing a jersey and kind of enjoying the moments with him.”

The Golden Knights open the regular season on Oct. 8 against the Los Angeles Kings at T-Mobile Arena.

“Can’t wait,” Marner said.