Mitch Marner left the Toronto Maple Leafs this offseason, and he says saying goodbye to his teammates was one of the hardest things he’s done.
Throughout the season, Marner’s future with Toronto was a major talking point. After Toronto was eliminated from the playoffs, all signs pointed to him leaving, and he ended up being part of a sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights.
After the decision was made, Marner says he had a phone call with Auston Matthews, and it was an emotional goodbye between them.
“The phone call to Auston. That was a tough one,” Marner said to TSN. “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. That phone call to him was pretty tough. It was pretty emotional. Obviously, we came in together, we did a lot of things together. It was really tough.”
As Marner says, he and Matthews entered the league together and immediately became close friends.
Not only were they friends, but they also played on the Maple Leafs’ top line and had a ton of success. However, after another disappointing playoff exit, Marner felt like he needed to move on from the Maple Leafs.
Marner was selected fourth overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2015 NHL Draft.
Marner Discusses Phone Calls With Maple Leafs Teammates
Not only did Marner call Matthews, but he also called some of his other teammates.
Marner said he also called Morgan Rielly, John Tavares, and William Nylander to let them know that he was leaving the Maple Leafs. Those calls were also difficult for Marner.
“Saying goodbye to Morgan [Rielly] as well, [John Tavares], [William Nylander], all those guys as we really came in together, grew together, leaned on each other for a lot of things. The market was tough to all of us at times, and we needed to lean on each other. It was tough to call those guys and let them know it was going to happen. Just reaction out of both sides, it sucked. But, that’s the way this sport goes sometimes.”
Marner was a leader for the Maple Leafs and became close friends with several players over his time with the team. But he felt like it was time for a fresh start elsewhere.
Marner Explains Why He Left Maple Leafs
Although Marner had to have some emotional phone calls saying his goodbyes, he felt like the time was right to move on.
Marner is from Toronto and was honored to play for his hometown team. Yet, after some time thinking, Marner felt like he needed a fresh start elsewhere.
“We just decided it was time for a new chapter,” Marner said. “We loved being in Toronto full time and being close to family and friends. But we just thought it was time for a new chapter in life, and having Miles, our son, we wanted to look at other options and see what was out there. We found one we really liked.”
Marner will return to Toronto as a member of the Golden Knights on January 23
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