Final Thoughts on Mitch Marner: He Got the Change He Needed
As the season comes to a close, I find myself thinking differently about Mitch Marner than I did a year ago. That's probably not something I expected to write.
Marner did things that bugged me while he was in Toronto. Over time, my perspective changed.
For a long time, I struggled with the way the contract negotiations unfolded in Toronto. It often felt like there was too much drama surrounding the process and too much attention on what Marner might get paid rather than on hockey itself. By the time he eventually left, one of the things I thought the Maple Leafs had gained was freedom from having to relive that entire conversation every few years.
But something changed for me as this season unfolded. Watching Marner in Vegas, I found myself feeling good for him. Not because I suddenly forgot all the frustrations Maple Leafs fans experienced over the years. Those frustrations were real. Toronto expected more playoff success than it received during the Auston Matthews-Marner era. That's simply part of the record now.
What struck me was how different Marner looked. He seemed lighter. It was like he got what he wanted—or really needed. For the first time in years, it looked like he was playing hockey without carrying the weight of an entire city on his back. In Toronto, every shift felt like part of a larger debate. Every playoff game became a referendum on his contract, his value, or his legacy. That's a difficult way to live as an athlete.
Related: The Most Famous “Collateral Damage” Trade in Maple Leafs History.
During the postseason, my loyalties were with the Carolina Hurricanes.
And the results followed for Marner. He played some outstanding hockey during the postseason and helped push Vegas all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. Whatever frustrations he carried from Toronto, there had to be some satisfaction in proving to himself that he could still perform on one of the biggest stages in the sport.
That doesn't mean I was cheering for Vegas. I wasn't. Part of that comes from my admiration for Rod Brind'Amour as a coach, and that trickled down to the Carolina Hurricanes. Brind'Amour grew up only about half an hour from where I live on Vancouver Island, so there was a little hometown connection.
But beyond that, I genuinely enjoyed watching Carolina play. They were structured, disciplined, and completely committed to one another. They looked like a team that pushed the puck in offensive waves. And if I'm being honest, Vegas can sometimes be physical in a way that crosses from hard hockey into something a little less appealing.
Marner fell short of the Stanley Cup, but I didn’t celebrate the Canes’ win for that reason.
Still, when Carolina won, and Marner fell short, I didn't find myself celebrating his disappointment. Instead, I thought about how much better a place he seems to be in now than he was a year ago. Sometimes, a player and a city simply need to move on from each other.
Toronto needed a fresh start. Marner probably did, too. He didn't win the Stanley Cup. But after everything that happened during his years with the Maple Leafs, I suspect this season felt like a victory of a different kind—a fresh start, a new environment, and perhaps a little peace. And maybe that's not such a bad ending after all.