Marner to face Maple Leafs for 1st time with Golden Knights

Mitch Marner is ready to focus on facing his former team for the first time.

The Vegas Golden Knights forward will play against the Toronto Maple Leafs at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Thursday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, TSN4).

He spent his first nine NHL seasons with the Maple Leafs before going to Vegas on July 1, agreeing to a sign-and-trade that included an eight-year, $96 million contract ($12 million average annual value).

The 28-year-old forward said it wasn't until after Vegas' 3-2 overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday that he would allow himself to think about playing against his former team.

"Been trying to just focus on our games, focus on who we're playing and the next opponent," Marner said late Wednesday. "I'm sure on the plane ride home it's going to hit more that that's (Thursday) night, and I don't think I got to look at it any different. Just look at it as another hockey game and just try to go out there and do my thing."

Marner was one of the faces of the Maple Leafs, in good times and bad, during his time in Toronto.

He had 741 points (221 goals, 520 assists) in 657 games, leaving as Toronto's sixth all-time leading scorer in the regular season and fifth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (63 points in 70 games).

Toronto made the playoffs in each of Marner's nine seasons, but advanced out of the first round twice, including last season, when the Maple Leafs lost in the second round to the Florida Panthers in six games.

Marner said he has kept in touch with several of his longtime former teammates, including Auston Matthews and William Nylander, who he also could play against next month in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

Marner will represent Canada in the Olympics. Matthews will play for the United States and Nylander for Sweden, along with Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

"I mean, I'm still obviously very good buddies with a lot of them, so I've checked in with them and just see how they're doing, how their families are doing," Marner said. "Talked to them over Christmas and holidays. Like I said, got really close with a lot of them there, and they're like brothers. But, yeah, hasn't been too much talk about hockey really."

Marner has 47 points (11 goals, 36 assists) in 45 games in his first season with the Golden Knights.

Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy knows Marner probably will be feeling some nerves and pressure against his former team and teammates for the first time. But several Golden Knights players have experienced what Marner is about to go through.

Before getting traded to Vegas, Jack Eichel played his first five-plus seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, who selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. He had no points in his first game against the Sabres on March 10, 2022.

Mark Stone played all or parts of his first seven NHL seasons with the Ottawa Senators before getting moved to the Golden Knights. He had an assist in his first game against them on Oct. 17, 2019.

Tomas Hertl played for the San Jose Sharks from 2013-24 before he was traded to Vegas. He had two assists in his first game against his former team on Oct. 26, 2024.

"I think the guys in the room will be able to walk him through it," Cassidy said. "Mark Stone went through it with Ottawa. Jack's gone through it in Buffalo. … There's lots of guys he can bounce ideas off. For me, it's another game. We'll use him like we usually do, and hopefully get him a few extra shifts here and there, because I'm sure he's going to be highly motivated.

“But sometimes it goes the other way when you play, you want to do too much, so hopefully (he) just goes out and plays his game. He's a great player. And then it's behind him. Before you know it, we're playing our next game."

True, but the Golden Knights will be in Toronto to play the Maple Leafs on Jan. 23 at Scotiabank Arena, and that will be another first for Marner, playing in front of his hometown fans as a visitor.

Maybe Marner can also wait to focus on that game because it too will be the second of a back-to-back with the Golden Knights playing in Boston the night before.

NHL.com independent correspondent Dan Greenspan contributed to this report