Several reasons why Mitch Marner decided to leave the Toronto Maple Leafs and go sign with the Vegas Golden Knights were going to get thrown around. From moving on, to being paid more, to just wanting to move to the United States. But according to Marner, one reason was above the rest.
In an interview with TSN's Mark Masters while attending Hockey Canada's Olympic orientation camp this week, Marner went over his departure from the Leafs. Specifically, how events that happened after getting knocked out of the playoffs shaped his decision to leave.
🚨🎙️ Mitch Marner on his departure from Toronto and how, especially in his last few weeks as a Leaf, things like his address getting leaked and d*ath threats being sent to him affected him and his family:
— Leafslatest (@Leafslatest) August 29, 2025
“Obviously, Game 1 and 2 went amazing against Florida… Game 3 to 5 went… pic.twitter.com/dXuUegztF7
"I get home," Marner said going over what happened after the playoffs. "I’m pretty disappointed, devastated. The thought also of it being my last Maple Leaf game at home. And then I get a phone call, probably five or so minutes after, from my wife’s father. He goes, ‘I just want to let you know we’ve got people sending us screenshots of a guy posting your address online, saying if people want to come pay us a visit and say their goodbyes in a quotation way… here’s the address.'
"It’s a little tough, obviously. We kind of dealt with it for the last two years in a way. The market’s very passionate… they love their team… I know it, I was born and raised there, been a part of Leafs Nation for a long time. But when your family’s safety comes into question, especially having a new son, I don’t think it’s acceptable.
"Having full-time security at your house for two weeks after the playoffs, just to make sure no one’s coming around… even worrying about the safety of walking your dog and your child. It’s unfortunate… but, yeah, we all deal with this stuff sometimes.”
Yeah, whether or not that's the full story or enough detail, that experience alone probably had enough of an influence to make Marner's decision for him. Why deal with threats and making his address publicly available in a nefarious way? No one would want to have that happen to them and considering that not every year they're going to win the Stanley Cup and there will be disappointments even if he stayed in Toronto, there's a decent chance of some crazed fan doing exactly that again.
There were other factors too, of course. Marner wanting to start fresh and the Maple Leafs probably felt it was mutual after dealing with the player's agent and people around him ever since they drafted him fourth overall at the 2015 NHL Draft.
It's impossible to get in the head of another person and truly understand exactly why they made a certain decision, but considering everything that Marner just laid out and made it clear publicly just how much toxicity he was dealing with on a daily basis -- that feels like reason enough when it comes down to the individual player.