Marner traded to Golden Knights by Maple Leafs, signs 8-year, $96 million contract

TORONTO -- Mitch Marner was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old forward, who could have become an unrestricted free agent, signed an eight-year, $96 million contract with Toronto prior to the trade. It has an average annual value of $12 million.

“It was unexpected in a way, we didn’t really know what was going to happen,” Marner said on Tuesday in Las Vegas. “I expressed to my agent we had a couple teams we really liked and looked forward to meeting with and talking with (in free agency)… My agent called, we got the word on Friday night something might be going down with Vegas and Toronto and how that might feel with my wife and I. This was a spot very high on my list, we wanted to come here and I went back to my agent said I’m open to doing this. We thought about going to free agency but this was a place I wanted to be, didn’t want to lose that opportunity and join this hockey team.”

In return for Marner, the Maple Leafs received forward Nicolas Roy.

Marner had a career-high 102 points (27 goals, 75 assists) in 81 regular-season games for Toronto last season and 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He said the chance to win the Stanley Cup was at the forefront of his decision to come to the Golden Knights.

“You want to be in a place where you want to win,” Marner said. “That’s the whole goal of why we do this. You want to hoist that Stanley Cup and this team has shown that they can do it. I’m lucky enough to now hopefully bring in another piece to hopefully bring it back here. We put the most pressure on ourselves as hockey players, that’s how we play the game. We want to win every single night. You want to win every battle, you want to win anything you can all the time. This team since it’s entered the League has really pushed the boundaries to be that winning team, that’s where I want to be.”

Marner, who hails from Markham, Ontario, which is about 20 miles northeast of Toronto, was selected No. 4 by the Maple Leafs at the 2015 NHL Draft. He has 741 points (221 goals, 520 assists) in 657 regular-season games and 63 points (13 goals, 50 assists) in 70 postseason games.

Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said the sign-and-trade was advantageous to both Vegas and Toronto.

“We wanted to do a sign and trade with Toronto so we could get the eighth year on the contract…,” McCrimmon said. “So for us, the eighth year really helped us in terms of what the AAV might be on his contract. We signed him to an eight-year contract at $12 million which is $96 million and if it was a seven-year contract to get to $96 million, you’ve got an AAV of $13.7. That really impacts our ability to take the player onto our team and one of the things that’s important for us with every signing we make, it’s about building a team that can win a Stanley Cup.

“We wanted to improve our team on the wings. We wanted to improve the offense from our wingers if that was a possibility for us and Mitch Marner does all that. I hope Nic Roy goes to Toronto and plays fantastic hockey, I think he will be really good player there. I think Nic Roy is a third-line center on almost any team in the NHL. I think that’s what his upside and abilities are on an increased opportunity on a new team.”

With the six-year, $65.358 million contract ($10.9 million AAV) he signed with the Maple Leafs on Sept. 19, 2019, expiring after last season, the idea of Marner moving on became stronger as last season played out.

"The fact is it's become apparent for a long time, for a while now, we spoke a week ago or so, that Mitch was going to move on,” Toronto general manager Brad Treliving said. “When a player of Mitch's magnitude moves away, that's never a fun day. But we were able to recoup a player who I think can really help us and in a situation where a player was walking away this morning for nothing, we were able to recoup a player who fits a need for us.

“We're excited about Nic; big centerman, a Stanley Cup to his name and he fills a need for us right now. He's a penalty-killing forward, right-shot centerman."

The trade ends Marner’s time with the Maple Leafs and their captain Auston Matthews, who was selected No. 1 by Toronto at the 2016 NHL Draft.

But in going to Vegas, Marner will have the opportunity to play with center Jack Eichel, who was selected No. 2 at the 2015 NHL Draft.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Marner said. “He’s an exceptional player who moves well up and down the ice, both ends very responsible. He has a deadly shot with his vision and playmaking potential so I’m very excited to start working with him and get the chemistry rolling.”

Though Marner and the Maple Leafs had incredible regular-season success -- reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs nine straight seasons -- they could not get past the second round. In fact, in the nine playoff appearances, they won just two series.

"My whole mindset the whole time in Toronto was that it was really tough to leave Toronto to be honest,” Marner said. “I didn’t think it would ever come to that day. When Vegas first came into the League, it was a shock. Everyone thought it was going to be a team that would be competitive but teams would come in here and do some stupid stuff the night before hockey games. Kind of just realized quickly there were guys willing to work and battle and just there to do their job and they ended up winning a lot of hockey games.

"A lot of trade rumors last summer and didn't know what was going to happen in that regard. As soon as the year started up we were ready to commit and play hockey and see what would happen but at the same time, willing to take it to the distance and told Toronto that was our plan. I was so grateful to play there for nine years."

In going to Vegas, Marner joins a franchise that has made the postseason in seven of its eight seasons since joining the NHL. The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2022-23 but have won just one series since.

“With Mitch Marner, we are getting one of the best forwards in the National Hockey League, elite playmaker, tremendous passer…,” McCrimmon said. “He adds to our team, adds to our offense. He gives us another star at the forward position and improves our team tremendously.

“He’s had a tremendous NHL career. This is going to be just a perfect time to make this change. He knows our players who were a part of the 4 Nations on the Canadian team which is helpful in terms of familiar faces.”

Roy, a 28-year-old forward, had 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists) in 71 regular-season games for Vegas last season and four points (two goals, two assists) in 11 playoff games.

A fourth-round pick (No. 96) by the Carolina Hurricanes at the 2015 NHL Draft, Roy has 166 points (68 goals, 98 assists) in 369 regular-season games with the Hurricanes and Golden Knights. He has 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) in 79 playoff games, including 11 (three goals, eight assists) in 22 games when Vegas won the Cup in 2022-23.

"I want to be part of a team that is winning,” Roy said. “Watching the playoffs last year, the Panthers are the biggest challenge for the Leafs, and I think this group is ready to win right now and that's why I want to play with a team like that for sure."

McCrimmon said winning just one series since winning the Stanley Cup in 2023 was not why they wanted to acquire Marner and pushed back against the notion that coming to Las Vegas would lessen the pressure he faced compared to Toronto.

“We would have pursued Mitch Marner if we’d won the Stanley Cup,” McCrimmon said. “He’s a world class talent, he’s one of the best forwards in the NHL, that would have remained the case. We put a lot of stock in playoffs. There’s some things we want to change somewhat subtly, but we are not going to go away from a lot of the things that worked really well for us last year.

“We have lots of pressure here. We internally have pressure on our team. We want to win. Our guys put pressure on themselves as much as players on any other team.”