“Very fortunate” — that’s exactly how Mitch Marner described signing his contract with the Vegas Golden Knights on July 1. After spending nine remarkable years with the Toronto Maple Leafs and collecting significant laurels along the way, the 28-year-old Canadian international bid farewell to Toronto, finding a new home in the heart of Nevada. Though it’s been over a month since his departure, it was his former captain, Auston Matthews, who finally broke his silence on the matter.

Having signed an eight-year contract worth an average annual value of $12,000,000 until the 2032-33 season, Mitch Marner shook hands with Kelly McCrimmon and Co. in a deal that sent forward Nicolas Roy back to Toronto. While many might expect his former teammates and fans to view their ex-star as a rival, Auston Matthews still holds a soft spot for him.

When asked about Marner’s exit at the Hockey Night in Brampton charity event, the 27-year-old said, “We’ll obviously miss him, he’s a great friend and great teammate. That’s kind of the business side of it, that’s tough, but wish him nothing but the best. We’ll just keep it moving.” Matthews made it clear there are no hard feelings toward Marner.

Instead, he only had praise for his former teammate, expressing his best wishes for Mitch, who begins the next chapter of his career with the Golden Knights. Honestly, this is quite surprising to hear from the United States international, considering Mitch Marner, on the other hand, had a rather blunt response over finding his new hockey home in Vegas.

“This was a spot that was very high on my list. I wanted to come here. Kind of went back to my agent and said, ‘I’m open to doing this if we can find a way to do it.’ A couple hours later, we had a deal going on. Very fortunate. This is the place we want to be. We don’t want to lose that opportunity,” earlier said Mitch as per the NHL’s report.

Having produced 741 points (221 G, 520 A) in 657 games — fifth all-time in franchise history since his 2016-17 debut — along with a +128 rating on the ice, Marner led Toronto in scoring during that span and ranked eighth across the entire NHL. Despite enjoying a strong season, leading the Maple Leafs to a season record of 102 points, the 3X NHL All-Star winner called it a day for the reasons he vocally mentioned.

Then again, his farewell message on Instagram did see Marner admit that leaving the Toronto side was indeed “very hard.” Further expressing his remorse over the failure of bringing the Stanley Cup to his hometown despite giving his all, he added, “Wearing the Maple Leaf on my chest wasn’t just about playing for a team; it was about representing my home… but in the end, it wasn’t enough.”

Then again, Marner will surely look to settle in smoothly with the Vegas Golden Knights — a team known for fostering a true winning culture and a family-like atmosphere, as echoed by former teammates like Max Pacioretty and Ryan Reaves, not to mention the appeal of that lucrative contract. And what about Matthews and the Maple Leafs? Well, consider something big in the pipeline!

No Mitch Marner, no problem for Auston Matthews and Co.

Yes, yes, we know that the exit of Mitch Marner is no less than a seismic jolt. But for someone who posted a career-best 102-point season, getting a solid bottom-six forward like Nicolas Roy isn’t gonna solve their problems. While there’s no overnight answer to this challenge, Auston Matthews stepped in big time to ease the worries of ardent Maple Leafs supporters.

“A lot of changes, but feeling excited about the guys we brought in, and obviously excited about the guys that we have,” Matthews said, as compiled by Heavy.com. boldly expressing his confidence in the team he has to lead and excitement to kick start what’s ahead for the new season. “Guys are going to have to take some steps, but I think that’s a good thing, a good problem to have, so really looking forward to it.”

The Maple Leafs are still in pursuit of playoff glory after yet another early exit, capped by a crushing 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, who later lifted the Stanley Cup. Following that disappointment on home ice, Matthews emphasized that the bar remains high as Toronto heads into the 2025-26 campaign.

“For us, it’s not getting too far ahead of ourselves too, staying in the moment, making sure we just take care of the day,” he said during his media scrum, stressing the importance of maintaining a strong mentality. It looks like he’s fully committed to challenging whoever stands in their way — even if it’s Mitch Marner with his new team!