Marner, Andersen put friendship on hold with Golden Knights, Hurricanes in Stanley Cup Final

RALEIGH, N.C. — One of Mitch Marner’s first mentors when he came into the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016 was goalie Frederik Andersen.

A decade later, friend has morphed into foe on hockey’s grandest stage.

When the puck is dropped between Marner's Vegas Golden Knights and Andersen's Carolina Hurricanes for Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, SN, TVAS, CBC), Marner’s biggest obstacle to winning a Stanley Cup could very well be the same man who helped him get acclimated to NHL life with the Maple Leafs 10 years ago.

“There’s a lot (of memories),” Marner recalled during Cup Final media day on Monday. “I mean, Freddie was one of the guys when I first came into the League that was very open. He invited me over, invited me to dinners. After games we’d go out to eat and just hang out and talk hockey.

“He was just one of the guys who brought me in and made me feel really comfortable since Day 1.”

Marner certainly has been feeling that way since the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The 29-year-old forward enters the Cup Final leading the NHL this postseason with 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) in 16 games. He’s also plus-12, which leads Vegas.

Andersen has enjoyed similar success with Carolina this spring. The 36-year-old has played every minute in the Hurricanes’ run to the Final, going 12-1 with a 1.41 goals-against average and .931 save percentage.

Now he’ll go head-to-head with his former teammate who he faced in practice every day during his five-season stint with the Maple Leafs from 2016-2021.

“Just the times away from the ice, in the locker room, all that stuff has been really, really fun,” Andersen said. “Just a really fun friend to have.”

To his point, during the 2020 All-Star Game in St. Louis, Andersen unveiled a custom-made mask depicting fellow all-stars Marner and Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews on the sides.

Despite having regular season success, the Maple Leafs did not win a single playoff series during the Marner-Andersen run as teammates. Andersen, who joined the Hurricanes as a free agent in 2021, said he and Marner have remained in contact even after going their separate ways.

“Obviously it’s cool to keep in touch, obviously, as guys move on,” Andersen said. “Obviously he’s got (a son) now, and that’s cool to see. 

“(Mitch) was very young when I got to meet him, and seeing him develop into a family man, that’s good to see.”

The Maple Leafs, Marner included, won just two playoff series in the four years after Andersen’s departure. On July 1, the veteran wing was shipped to the Golden Knights as part of a sign-and-trade that saw forward Nicolas Roy head to Toronto.

Eleven months later, Marner and Andersen will each be making their debuts in a Stanley Cup Final. As such, both drew plenty of attention at their respective interview pods during media day.

Marner, for one, had about 20 people surrounding his podium, not to mention a number of TV cameras. Included were a handful of reporters from Toronto who wanted to know more about his reference last week of having gone through some “dark times” en route to getting this far.

“I’ll talk about that in the coming weeks if it happens, you know,” he said, referring to winning the Cup. “Right now just focused on getting the job at hand and I’m excited to start this up.”

He has reason to be.

After all, he’s been waiting almost a lifetime for this.

He recalled going to Shawn Thornton’s Stanley Cup party in 2007 when the rugged winger was a member of the champion Anaheim Ducks.

“I was with my grandma at the time,” Marner said. “I remember it was really cool. I was quite young at the time. I just remember him and his buddies had a great time, how he and his family really enjoyed the whole thing, and how great he was at giving back as well.

“I think at that moment you try to envision that one day you would love to do that as well and be able to have that party.”

He and the Golden Knights will have to find a way to solve Andersen for that to become reality.