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Magic Mitch is back. Markham, Ont., native Mitch Marner will make his hockey return to Toronto for the first time Friday night after skating away to Vegas during last July’s free agency period.
For nearly a decade, Marner was a significant part of the Toronto team’s identity — an impactful two-way player whose homecoming as a Vegas Golden Knight carries weight far beyond the scoreboard. Friday night’s game will be the first time he faces the Leafs on their home turf after defeating them 6-5 in overtime in Las Vegas on Jan. 15.
“I’m excited to go back there. That building has meant a lot to me,” Marner told reporters in Toronto at a pre-game press conference on Jan. 23. “I’m just going to try to think of it as another game, another opportunity to go out there and try to win two points.”
During his tenure as a Maple Leaf, Marner made a mark as one of the franchise’s all-time leaders in assists (520) and points (741), including his 100-points milestone during the 2024-25 season.
He also made the Stanley Cup Playoffs nine times with the Leafs, though the team advanced only twice to the second round, first during the 2022-23 season and then the 2024-25 season, losing both times against the Florida Panthers.
So far during his first season as a Golden Knight, Marner has accumulated 52 points (12 goals, 40 assists) in 49 games.
“He’s been a special player [in Toronto] for a long time. He’s been a big presence in the [Toronto] community as well, not just with hockey,” Leafs goalie Joseph Woll told reporters at a post-game press conference on Thursday night.
“I would hope it’s a warm welcome,” Woll said. “I know he has nothing but good memories here, and I think the fans experienced a ton of good memories with him as well.”
Marner was part of the “Core Four” in Toronto, a term coined by Leafs fans to describe the team’s high profile players: Marner, Captain Auston Matthews, and forwards John Tavares and William Nylander.
Marner’s return to Toronto will resonate differently with fans, said one fan, Jo Gegenbauer, as not only was he a part of the “Core Four,” but fans had hope and faith he’d help end the city’s almost 60-year Stanley Cup drought.
“I thought he would be a Leaf for life,” said Gegenbauer.
Gegenbauer also said the way Marner’s departure was handled likely plays a factor in how Leafs fans see him now, including how he spoke to the media and last season’s speculation about his departure.
“He is the first ‘big’ player of this era of Leafs to leave, and I think many people see it as betrayal especially because of how he always talked about how winning with the Leafs would mean everything to him,” Gegenbauer said.
A glimpse of this betrayal was seen when Leafs fans “booed” Marner when the Leafs played the Golden Knights in Las Vegas on Jan. 15.
When asked about potential booing from Leafs fans at Scotiabank Arena, Marner seemed to shrug that off at Friday’s pre-game press conference.
“I’ve always appreciated [Leafs fans]. I’ve always loved what they brought. They’re always passionate, they’re gonna let you know and that’s what you appreciate about it,” Marner said.
Marner’s homecoming will also be significant as fans will be “witnessing a reunion of the most relevant Leafs duo in the last decade,” said Alessia Baptista with the Fan First Network.
“I think a lot of fans are really hoping for a win as a sort of proof that we don’t need him anymore, despite him being key line mate to Auston Matthews all these years,” said Baptista.
She said Marner’s return will be bittersweet and emotional, in particular when the former line mates hit the ice.
“It’s the first time we’re seeing a guy who spent the first nine years of his career in Toronto come back to his hometown and play against a team that meant a lot to him,” said Baptista.
The Toronto Maple Leafs play the Vegas Golden Knights at Scotiabank Arena Friday night. Puck drop is 7 p.m.
Reporter, On The Record, Winter 2026.
No AI tools were used in the production of this piece.
