Mitch Marner discloses his "tough goodbye" among Maple Leafs teammates after $96M sign-and-trade deal out of Toronto

Mitch Marner’s nine-year run with the Toronto Maple Leafs came to an end on July 1 when he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade deal.

He first signed an eight-year, $96 million contract with Toronto before being moved, with the Leafs acquiring center Nicolas Roy in return.

Speaking on TSN, Marner reflected on the most difficult part of leaving Toronto, "toughest goodbye" to his closest teammates.

"There was a couple. I mean, obviously the phone call to Auston. That was a tough one. He had to get back to Arizona pretty quickly after the season. I was going to try to get a sit down with him before, but it just didn't pan out with everything happening,” Marner said. (0:10 onwards)

“And that phone call was pretty tough. It was pretty emotional. Obviously, we came in together. We did a lot of things together."

Marner also added that it was equally tough to say goodbye to Morgan Rielly, John Tavares and William Nylander. He reflected on how challenging the Toronto market could be and that the players leaned on each other to handle the pressure.

He said that calling his teammates to break the news of his departure was tough. The conversations were emotional, but he acknowledged that tough goodbyes are a part of the business side of hockey.

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Mitch Marner on receiving death threats in Toronto after playoff loss

Mitch Marner opened up about the struggles his family went through following Toronto’s playoff defeat to Florida in the 2024-25 season.

Marner said his final weeks in Toronto were overshadowed by unsettling incidents. It even went as far as his home address being exposed online and people sending him threats.

“I get a phone call.. from my wife’s father. He goes, ‘I just want to let you know we’ve got people sending us screenshots of a guy posting your address online, saying if people want to come pay us a visit and say their goodbyes in a "" way … here’s the address.’ Marner said, (1:49 onwards)

While Mitch Marner acknowledged Toronto’s passionate hockey market, which he grew up in, he admitted that the situation became unacceptable once his family’s safety was at risk, especially with a newborn son.