Mitch Marner comes in at a perfect time for the Golden Knights

The Florida Panthers have been atop the NHL for two seasons and look to continue their pursuit of a three-peat Stanley Cup Championship run. The Eastern Conference and the Edmonton Oilers have shown they don't possess the firepower to dethrone the Panthers. 

The Vegas Golden Knights were the last team to take down the Panthers at the biggest stage in the 2023 Stanley Cup, but they've hit a wall in the last two postseasons and need some support. That support came with the addition of former Toronto Maple Leafs star winger Mitch Marner, who took the ice officially for the Golden Knights on Thursday for the first day of training camp. Marner is projected to be the starting right wing for the Golden Knights, putting longtime Mark Stone in with the second unit.

Marner’s departure was expected, but it wasn’t on the best of terms. It was clear what the Maple Leafs organization and fans thought when they thought it was time to tear down the ‘core four’ and re-sign John Tavares (who will be 35 on Saturday) and let Marner walk. 

Marner had many solid options for his new team, but he felt the Golden Knights gave him the biggest spotlight. He wasn’t going to be the face of the franchise with Auston Matthews still in town. Marner also looks to win a championship, something that the Maple Leafs struggled to adapt to with the early disappointing postseason exits. 

With the Golden Knights, Marner can be the face of the franchise, along with center Jack Eichel. Marner was having an issue establishing himself as one of the top players in a roster led by Matthews, Tavares and winger William Nylander. Marner led Toronto in points accounted for with 102 as he accumulated 27 goals and a team-high 75 assists. He was 13th last season in consideration for the Hart Memorial Trophy.

The Golden Knights were only one of four teams that won 50 regular-season games last season. They were fifth in the league in goals per game (3.34) and were third in goals allowed per game (2.61). This is a team that clearly has talent across the board and only adds more talent with a young, dynamic player like Marner.

The organization is already feeling great about Marner on his first day of practice. With the addition of another star on the ice, there is always some concern about who is going to be the shooter of the puck at a critical moment with Eichel and Ivan Barbashev. Marner feels that it is not an issue, as he is looking forward to sharing the puck and developing his skillset around his new teammates. 

It also shouldn’t be an issue for Marner to share his shots with the Golden Knights because he was third in the league in assists accounted for, behind Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon. 

Marner’s departure via sign-and-trade to the Golden Knights was one of the biggest moves made in the offseason. Vegas fans are optimistic that the team can break the bad luck postseason trend of the last two seasons and get back to the Stanley Cup Final.