John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Lack of Farewells from Leafs Teammates Raises Eyebrows After Marner Signs with Vegas

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Jack Sutherland | Last updated Jul 4, 2025 5:06 PM ET

There was a noticeable lack of farewells on the part of Mitch Marner's now-ex Toronto Maple Leafs teammates after his sign and trade deal to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Mitch Marner is officially an ex-member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, as he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights for Nicolas Roy as part of a sign-and-trade deal.

His new $12 million AAV (average annual value) is a $1.9 million raise over what he earned in his previous contract with the Leafs.

He was recently introduced to the media in Vegas, and while he talked about how he enjoyed his time with the Maple Leafs despite not winning anything of substance, there was an apparent lack of farewells on the part of his now-ex teammates in Toronto.

More Leaf players posted about Joe Thornton making the Hall of Fame than they did about Marner leaving. Think a little

With his 8-year deal in Vegas, Marner now has the stability for himself and his growing family, which now includes a newborn child.

During the news presser to introduce Marner as a Golden Knight, Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon explained that the sign and trade route was the best way to go for Marner.

We wanted to do a sign and trade with Toronto so that we could get the eighth year on the contract. The only team that can give the player the eighth year is the team that he's on. For us, the eighth year really helped us in terms of what the AAV might be for his contract. If it was a seven-year contract, to get to $96 million, you've got an AAV of $13.7 million. That really impacts our ability to take the player onto our team.

Marner reached a new career-best 102 points with the Leafs this year, but garnered criticism for having only a single assist in the final 4 postseason against against the Panthers in their series loss.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: