Mitch Marner Traded to Knights from Maple Leafs, Signs $12M AAV Contract

Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs have parted ways after another early playoff exit in 2025.

Marner joined the Vegas Golden Knights via a sign-and-trade on Tuesday morning, signing an eight-year deal with an average annual value of $12 million. Toronto will receive Nic Roy in a one-for-one trade for Marner.

TSN's Darren Dreger and NHL insider Elliotte Friedman first reported the move on Monday.

After the announcement of his move to Las Vegas, Marner took to social media to say goodbye to Toronto:

Marner was set to hit free agency following the expiration of his previous six-year, $65.4 million contract after the 2024-25 season.

He reportedly chose to hit free agency after declining to negotiate a new contract with the Leafs during the season, declining to waive his no-movement clause for a potential midseason trade with the Carolina Hurricanes involving Mikko Rantanen.

The 28-year-old winger meanwhile recorded a dominant ninth regular season for the Leafs, during which he ranked fifth in the NHL with 75 assists and totaled a career-high 102 points in 81 games.

Marner then put up a point per game in the playoffs with two goals and 11 assists in 13 postseason games.

But he was held without a single point in the Leafs' last three losses of the postseason, including a season-ending 6-1 defeat by the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the second round.

The second-round exit was a disappointment for a Leafs team that has not yet reached the Eastern Conference Final in nine seasons building around the NHL's best even-strength goalscorer in Auston Matthews.

Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said after the Leafs' elimination loss that there was "some DNA that has to change in our team."

"If you keep getting to the same result, there's some DNA that needs to change. That's on me going forward," Treliving said.

That "DNA change" meant moving on from Marner, although the rest of the Leafs core is largely intact. Matthews, William Nylander and top defenseman Morgan Reilly are already signed to long-term deals. John Tavares, who like Marner hit free agency this offseason, has already re-signed with his hometown team on a four-year deal.

If Treliving decides this team isn't on track for a championship at some point this season, however, another core member could be moved by next trade deadline.

Marner has been one of the most productive players in the NHL since his Leafs debut in 2016, ranking fifth among all skaters with 520 assists and eighth with 741 points over that span.

Vegas is betting a change of scenery will help translate that regular-season success to the playoffs as Marner brings his offensive talents to a team looking to make a run for the Stanley Cup next spring.

The Knights are seeking to build a contender around Jack Eichel, who is coming off a career-best 94-point campaign during which he proved himself as one of the best two-way centers in the NHL.

Placing Eichel next to Marner—potentially with Mark Stone on the other side—could create one of the most dangerous top lines in the NHL next season.

Vegas could also be hoping acquiring a scoring winger for Eichel will help convince him to re-sign with the Golden Knights rather than testing free agency when his current contract expires next year.

The Golden Knights haven't been back to the Stanley Cup Final since Eichel led them to a championship in 2023. Vegas could be hoping pairing one of the league's top centers with one of its top wingers will be enough to get them past other Western Conference contenders like the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers next season.