William Nylander says Mitch Marner wasn't seeking Leafs exit last year
'I don’t think he was ever thinking of leaving ahead of time.'
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William Nylander claims Mitch Marner had no premeditated plan to break up the Maple Leafs’ band.
Addressing rumblings that Marner was looking down the road for the exit door during last season before a sign-and-trade to the Vegas Golden Knights in late June, Nylander told NHL.com at the NHL/NHLPA European summer media tour in Milan, Italy, it would be news to him.
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“Not sure where that stuff comes from, but I don’t think he was ever thinking of leaving ahead of time,” Nylander said. “I actually asked him during the season and he said he was concentrating on Toronto. I didn’t want to press him on that and let him be because it was obviously on his mind, but his play was focussed on helping us.
“Then I asked him after the season and he wasn’t sure.”
At the trade deadline in March, Marner was sounded out about a trade to Carolina for Mikko Rantanen, whom the Hurricanes could not sign long term after acquiring him from Colorado. Vegas was involved in talks as a third partner. But Marner would not waive his no trade clause, in part he said because his wife was almost ready to give birth and didn’t want her uprooted for what could’ve been a short stay elsewhere. The dynamic Rantanen ended up in Dallas.
It seemed the Leafs might not get anything for the fifth-hihhest score in franchise history if Marner walked in unrestricted free agency. Toronto’s stars had a mostly unproductive playoff in failing to get past the second round again.
General manager Brad Treliving was able to salvage a return for Marner, acquiring centre Nicolas Roy from Vegas. Marner signed an eight-year, $96 million US deal before the trade and there seemed little appetite before and after the season to re-sign in his hometown.
Marner, who was clearly frustrated at the level of blame aimed his way for what have been collective post-season failures of the Leafs’ Core Four (he, Nylander, Auston Matthews and John Tavares) has spoken glowingly of Vegas. His comment that he preferred going there because of a winning mentality irked many in Leafs Nation while he’d also sought guidance from Knights-turned Leafs Ryan Reaves and Max Pacioretty on what family life would be in the Nevada desert.
Nylander, who had an in-game argument with Marner go viral during the 2024 playoffs against Boston, telling the latter to “grow up”, said the two quickly got past that incident.
“It’s hockey,” said Nylander. “Things happen in the heat of battle. There was too much read into that. We came in and played our first full season together and our friendship just grew from there.
“He’s an incredible person. Off the ice too. He was the one making sure that we had team events like Halloween parties, dinners, all those kind of events. He would set those things up.
“And then, just being a friend on the side, just an incredible guy. I could always talk to him about whatever. He’ll be missed. And for what he does on the ice, just an incredible player.”
With training camp a few weeks away, the 40-goal Nylander could end up in Marner’s right wing spot on the first line with centre Matthews and Matthew Knies. Mattias Maccelli, acquired from the Utah Mammoth, is another possibility on the right side.
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