TORONTO — The Maple Leafs are trading Mitch Marner to the Golden Knights, according to multiple media reports.
The talented winger reportedly agreed to an eight-year, US$96-million contract with Toronto ahead of the deal with Vegas on Monday. Marner would have only been able to sign a seven-year contract on the open market had he hit unrestricted free agency Tuesday.
His long-anticipated Leafs departure ties a bow on nine roller-coaster campaigns with the team he cheered for as a kid.
The product of nearby Thornhill, Ont. — arguably the most talented local player to ever don a Toronto jersey — had exceptional regular-season success alongside fellow star forwards Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares.
Marner registered four 90-plus point performances, including cracking 100 for the first time in 2024-25.
The playoffs, however, were an entirely different matter.
Marner, who signed a six-year contract extension with Toronto worth more than $65 million in September 2019, became a lightning rod for criticism among a rabid fan base in the game's biggest media market.
He put up 63 points (13 goals, 50 assists) in 70 post-season contests, but the club made the second round just twice during his tenure.
The Leafs made a couple of other moves Monday, acquiring Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth for a conditional third-round draft pick in 2027 before re-signing fellow forward Steven Lorentz.
If Toronto reaches the playoffs and Maccelli registers 51 points next season, the pick becomes a second-rounder in 2029.
Maccelli had eight goals and 10 assists in 55 games for Utah last season. The 24-year-old Finn produced career highs of 17 goals and 57 points in 2023-24. Maccelli has one year remaining on his contract at a US$3.425-million salary cap hit.
Lorentz, meanwhile, has agreed to a three-year, $4.05-million extension after producing 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) in 80 games in 2024-25.
Toronto reportedly signed winger Matthew Knies to a six-year extension worth $46.5 million on Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2025.
The Canadian Press
