NHL superstar Mitch Marner faced his former team for the first time Thursday night as the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6–5 in overtime at T-Mobile Arena. The game marked Marner’s first appearance against Toronto since he was traded last summer and it came with a noticeable reaction from Maple Leafs fans in attendance.
Marner was booed throughout the night whenever he touched the puck beginning with pregame introductions. He finished the game with two assists, both on Vegas power-play goals but did not score.
Afterward, Marner was asked if it was unsettling for him to hear boos from Toronto supporters in an opposing building.
“No, they’ve got a passionate fan base. They travel well,” Marner said. “They’ve always done that. So, yeah, it’s a passionate fan base.”
The matchup carried added significance following Marner’s June 30, 2025, sign-and-trade to Vegas. Toronto signed Marner to an eight-year, $96 million contract with a $12 million average annual value before immediately trading him to the Golden Knights in exchange for forward Nicolas Roy.
On the ice, the Golden Knights erased multiple deficits to earn the win. Toronto led 3-1 after the first period and 4-2 midway through the second. Vegas stayed within reach through special teams with Marner assisting on both of Pavel Dorofeyev’s power-play goals. Toronto rebuilt a two-goal lead early in the third period but Vegas responded late, tying the game with seven seconds remaining before Jack Eichel scored the overtime winner.
Mitch Marner opens up on sliding puck toward Auston Matthews during warmps
Moments before puck drop, a brief interaction between Mitch Marner and his former teammate Auston Matthews drew attention as the final seconds of warmups wound down on the night. With most players already heading to the tunnel, Marner slid a puck in Matthews’ direction sending it across the ice toward him before continuing on toward the Vegas bench.
The moment was subtle and lasted only a second but it was visible to cameras and media in the building. Marner addressed the incident himself and explained that the gesture was lighthearted.
“He’s a special person,” Marner said. “He’s a guy that me and him have gone through a lot together. I mean he’s a great friend of mine. He’s a close friend, he’s a guy I can talk to about anything and it was just a little fun there to poke some fun at him at the end of warmups, and it’ll be nice to see him here shortly.”
Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner played together with the Maple Leafs for nine NHL seasons spanning from 2016-17 through 2024-25.
Matthews entered the league in 2016 as the first overall pick while Marner joined him the same season after being selected fourth overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. From Matthews’ rookie year onward, the two were closely linked as core pieces of Toronto’s rebuild and were frequently deployed together at even strength and on the power play.
Edited by Anjum Rajonno
