NHL insider floats wild possibilities for Mitch Marner if he had stayed with Toronto Maple Leafs

Mitch Marner’s trade to the Vegas Golden Knights ends a nine-year run with his hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The forward signed an eight-year, $96 million deal with Toronto before being dealt. He had the option to test free agency, but both teams worked out a trade, benefiting both.

Marner scored 102 points in 81 games last season and added 13 more in the playoffs. Though productive, he was part of a Toronto core that never reached the Stanley Cup Final. Even worse, the team won only two Stanley Cup playoff series.

Speaking on "First Up" on Thursday, NHL insider Dave Feschuk shared his view of the situation.

"(The story of an athlete who had a hard time handling criticism) It’s one of the great ‘if onlys’ in Maple Leaf history,” Feschuk said (3:50).

Feschuk also questioned what could have been if Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and others had won more often in key moments.

“If only these guys would have won a few more big games,” Feschuk said. “If only they would have shown up in a few more big moments.”

Feschuk also pointed out that Marner was close to becoming one of the team’s all-time greats.

"Then he is, you know, he's going to spend his entire career or the bulk of it in Toronto. He's going to climb the list of the all-time greats. I mean, he would have been spending this coming season passing Borje Salming for fourth all-time in Maple Leafs franchise points." (4:23)

Mitch Marner missed Slamming's 768-point record with the Leafs by a close margin as he parted ways with the team with 741 points.

"It would have been very conceivable that he would have ended up at the top of that list, in the not-too-distant future," Feschuk said.

Now, Mitch Marner begins a new chapter in Vegas with another chance to compete for the Stanley Cup.

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Mitch Marner opens up about choosing Vegas and leaving Toronto

Mitch Marner shared how the trade to Vegas came together and what made him choose the Golden Knights. He said he didn’t expect things to move so fast but was open to the idea once it started.

“It was unexpected in a way, we didn’t really know what was going to happen,” Marner said (per NHL.com).

On Friday night, his agent told him something might happen between Toronto and Vegas. Marner and his wife talked about it, and they both liked the idea and felt it was worth considering.

“This was a spot very high on my list,” Marner said. “We wanted to come here and I went back to my agent and said I’m open to doing this.”

Marner believes Vegas has proven it can win and wants to help bring more success.

“This team has shown that they can do it,” he said. “I’m lucky enough to now hopefully bring in another piece.”

Leaving Toronto was not an easy decision for Mitch Marner, but at least he won't have to face the pressure of the Toronto fans and media.