Former Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Tyson Barrie believes Mitch Marner will play an important role with the Vegas Golden Knights next season. On the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, Barrie praised Marner’s game and said he expects him to make a strong impact in 2025-26.“I love Marner so much,” Barrie said. “I think he’s gonna just do so great in Vegas, and it’s gonna be crazy for him to play game 32 and come into the locker room and nobody’s gonna be waiting to talk to him... I think he’s going to have a hell of a year. I think Vegas is going to be tough to beat.”Podcast host Paul Bissonnette reminded Barrie that he had predicted a Golden Knights championship run. Barrie replied:“I think they could, for sure. Marner’s unbelievable. First PK, first power play, he’s just a buzzsaw.”Barrie also spoke about the criticism Marner faced in Toronto during the playoffs. He said the winger often became the focus when his scoring slowed down.“That’s why you make money, and that’s why you’re signed to perform in the playoffs,” Barrie said. “It wasn’t like he wasn’t trying. They did lose to a lot of good teams that went on to do some pretty good things. But I think Marner is poised to—he is probably going to have an unbelievable playoffs this year.”Marner left Toronto after nine seasons. He finished with 27 goals and 75 assists for 102 points in 81 games last season. In the playoffs, he added 13 points in 13 games, though his numbers dipped in the second round against Florida.He was traded to Vegas in the summer after signing an eight-year, $96 million contract. Marner is expected to play right wing for the Golden Knights and wear No. 93.Mitch Marner can prove himself in a different marketLeaving Toronto was not easy for Mitch Marner, who grew up and played in the city for nearly a decade. Still, he explained that joining Vegas was about chasing championships.“You want to be in a place where you want to win,” he said in July, via NHL.com “This team since it’s entered the League has really pushed the boundaries to be that winning team, that’s where I want to be.”His final months in Toronto were also difficult off the ice. In August, Marner shared that his family faced harassment, including incidents where their address was shared online."I just want to let you know we’ve got people sending us screenshots of a guy posting your address online saying that if people want to come pay us a visit and say, you know, their goodbyes, in a quotation way, here’s the address.’ And it was a little tough, obviously,” Marner said, via TSN.Marner’s numbers in Toronto put him among the franchise’s all-time leaders, but playoff struggles remained a talking point throughout his career there.