Mitch Marner's agent reveals "dangerous environment" in Toronto endangered ex-Leafs forward's family's safety

Mitch Marner's sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights preceded and succeeded a lot of hockey drama. It was a big event for the Toronto Maple Leafs to see a homegrown talent leave Ontario for a US market, but years of pressure led him to the decision.

The Leafs' relative lack of success in the playoffs, especially being unable to deliver clutch performances, led to fans directing a lot of hate at the top players. As Marner was a Toronto-native, he became an easy target for online trolls. His playoff performances amounted to 63 points 70 games but just two second round appearances in nine years, which were subject to criticism.

As per his agent Darren Ferris, on 100% Hockey with Millard and Shannon, Marner's decision to sign an eight-year $96 million deal had a lot to do with his family's safety.

"Well, one part people don't always see is the toll the social media mainstream coverage can take on a player and their family," Ferris said (1:00). "Mitch went through years of that at the end of every season instead of being able to breathe and reset, and his family were bracing for the storm.

"The negativity, the blame, the hate, it was just directed at him and spilled over to other people closest to him. That creates a dangerous environment, and there were even times where police had to be involved. Through it all, Mitch showed incredible strength.

"But at the end of the day, he's more than a hockey player. He's a son, a brother, and now a new father to a young boy. And protecting that side of him has always been just as important as negotiating the contracts."

There were reports that detailed that Mitch Marner's lawn had been vandalized, with fans throwing garbage after a particular playoff exit. His family had been subjected to numerous verbal assaults while also having to deal with a carjacking incident in 2022. All that left a sour taste in the former Maple Leafs forward's mouth.

Ferris also added that Mitch Marner welcoming a newborn into their family meant that he had to be extra cautious about the family's future. The star winger had made up his mind to sign with Vegas, avoiding sitting down with other teams, as he found a sense of security in the less-scrutinizing hockey market in Las Vegas.

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Darren Ferris doesn't detail all behind-the-scenes details that forced Mitch Marner's decision

Darren Ferris said that Mitch Marner's frustration had built up over the years. He referenced the Mike Babcock incident when a rookie Marner was made to list down his teammates on how hard they worked, something that saw him getting fan resentment.

Other things, which Ferris didn't disclose, happened behind the scenes, with plenty of misinformation leading to the exit.

"I think it accumulated over the years," Ferris said. "This wasn't something that was just new. This was going way back and then going through the Mike Babcock fiasco. And there were other things that are not public I'm not going to bring out. And it was just constant negativity and misinformation in the public. And you can't blame the fans.

"They react to what they hear, and sometimes it's misinformation. And we really couldn't go out and attack every message that was out there that was incorrect. And you just give those people credibility. So it just creates a bigger storm. So it was difficult. It was difficult to manage. It was difficult to get through."

It remains to be seen how Mitch Marner performs in Vegas. All eyes will be on him as he aims to reach triple figures points tally again.