Safety Concerns and Scrutiny: Marner Explains Leaving the Leafs

In an interview with TSN’s Mark Masters, Marner explained what happened in Toronto, including how his address got leaked and there were death threats made that required him to hire full-time security for weeks to stay outside his home.

Marner, now signed to an eight-year, $96 million deal with Vegas, spoke candidly about the dark side of Leafs Nation in a recent interview. After Toronto’s Game 7 loss, Marner said his address was leaked online, and he began receiving death threats — a terrifying escalation that forced his family to hire full-time security for two weeks.

“Having full-time security at your house… just to make sure no one’s coming around,” Marner recalled. “Even worrying about the safety of walking your dog and your child. It’s unfortunate.”

The scrutiny wasn’t new. Marner admitted that, for two years, his family had quietly endured harassment, but this spring was the breaking point. With a newborn son and growing safety concerns, leaving Toronto became less about hockey and more about his family’s personal well-being and happiness.

Even Today, Marner Is Still Being Blamed

Fans in Toronto heard this emotional story, and many still blame Marner. Sportsnet’s Sam McKee was among the most vocal, going on a four-minute rant about how Marner never took accountability, and advised him to stop taking bad advice and look in the mirror. “It’s always the fans fault. It’s the media…” McKee sarcastically argued. He posted on X.com (Twitter) a photo of Vince Carter, and tagged it, “Marner, when he has a chance to blame Leaf fans instead of actually taking accountability for chronically underperforming in huge playoff games.”

McKee later posted, “I am taking a beating for being mean here, and rereading those tweets, maybe it’s true. I would usually not post a 4-minute audio of me talking, but I hashed out how I feel & maybe a bit better background of what led me to the cynicism.”

Others, like popular Leafs Twitter account Edna Garrett wrote, “Something about Mitch is so unlikeable.”

So who is right? Is Marner fair to want to leave Toronto because he was being blamed for the team’s brutal and repeated failures? So much so, his family was being threatened, and they were worried for their safety. Or, are the fans fair to continue being hard on Marner for continually underperforming, and that’s why the people who once loved him turned?

Marner Gets to Start Fresh in Vegas

For Marner, Vegas offers not just another chance at the Stanley Cup but something Toronto could no longer provide: peace. “We’re looking for a new chapter, a new peaceful way of life,” he said. Of course, Toronto fans (at least a handful of them) are saying that it’s only a matter of time before he starts pointing fingers at everyone but himself in Vegas, too.

The Leafs, meanwhile, are left grappling with the loss of a franchise cornerstone — and the uncomfortable reality that some of their own fans helped push him out the door.