Longtime Toronto Maple Leafs stalwart Mitch Marner is bracing for an emotional Friday night when he visits his former team for the first time as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights.
Marner got an indication of how things could go for him on Jan. 15 when the Golden Knights came back to earn a 6-5 home win in overtime over the Maple Leafs.
Some of the Toronto fans in attendance booed Marner, who had two assists in his first game against the Maple Leafs since an offseason trade.
“I would hope it’s a warm welcome,” Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll said on Wednesday after a 2-1 home loss in overtime to the Detroit Red Wings. “I know he has nothing but good memories here, and I think the fans have experienced a lot of good memories with him as well.
“He’s a great guy. It’s unfortunate he’s not with our group anymore, but I think hockey is a place of respect, and I hope that the fans pay him respect.”
Both teams are coming off two consecutive losses. The Maple Leafs have lost the first two of a five-game homestand.
The Golden Knights tried to rally from a 4-0 deficit Thursday night, but they dropped the opener of a four-game road trip 4-3 to the Boston Bruins.
Marner had an assist and has 12 goals and 40 assists in 49 games.
Marner had 741 points (221 goals, 520 assists) in 657 career regular-season games with Toronto to put him sixth on the franchise scoring list.
“I’m sure it will be an emotional night,” Marner said. “It’ll be a cool night. I’ll have a lot of friends and family coming to the game. It’ll be a weird one.”
Teammates and former teammates weighed in.
“I hope he just comes in and takes advantage of the opportunity to appreciate all the memories that he built over his years here, and there is definitely going to be an extra spring in his step,” Toronto defenseman Brandon Carlo said. “But overall, I think we want to just continue to play our game, focus on ourselves, but that will be an emotional one for him.”
“Fans are going to have their opinion, whether it’s good or bad,” said Jack Eichel, who had a goal and assist for Vegas on Thursday. “For him, it’s a decision he felt he needed to make and no one is going to fault him for that.”
And Marner has respect for his former team.
“(The Maple Leafs) are a good team,” Marner said. “They have a lot of skilled players. They have a lot of guys that could make you pay for mistakes. They’re a competitive team. They’ve had their ups and downs as well.”
Defenseman Rasmus Andersson, acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames, is with the Golden Knights but has yet to play because of immigration issues.
The Maple Leafs are dealing with injuries. Forward William Nylander did not play again on Wednesday because of a groin injury.
Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson left the Wednesday game early in the first period with a lower-body injury and it is not certain when he will return.
The depleted Toronto defense made the best of the situation.
“We had short shifts and were not making bad decisions and the forwards helped there for us to change,” Carlo said. “(Ekman-Larsson) means so much to us. He has raised his game to a whole new level with his playmaking ability, his calmness and he has an amazing stick.”
–Field Level Media
