For nine long years, Mitch Marner put his blood and sweat on the line playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. And yet, the star forward, fondly known as “The Magician” to the Leafs fans, failed in his quest. And now, he has to settle into his new shoes as a Vegas Golden Knights man. But despite donning his new stripes, the 28-year-old will have retained a piece of Maple Leafs memorabilia with him in his new camp.

“Wearing the Maple Leaf on my chest wasn’t just about playing for a team; it was about representing my home,” Marner wrote in an Instagram post on June 30, after his trade to the Golden Knights was confirmed. But it seems like the honeymoon period has come to an end after almost a decade of collaboration. And still, being the Toronto native he is, Marner couldn’t head to Vegas without a special clause in his contract.

On July 1, the official Vegas account livestreamed Marner’s first official press conference as a Golden Knights star. There, he also spilled the beans on how he made it a point to wear #93 as his jersey on his new team. During the presser, the topic of Marner getting back his old jersey number came up (he used to wear the same number during his OHL days, playing for the London Knights), and one reporter was curious about how Mitch felt about it after spending so many seasons as the Leafs’ #16.

“I’m very excited about it,” Marner said without deliberation. He revealed that it was actually his son who first got to try out Marner’s new jersey, as he and his wife, Stephanie, put it on their kid in the hotel room they were staying at, claiming that it was a “special moment” for the family. But he then spilled his guts on how he has a special regard for that particular number. “My Dad was a big Doug Gilmour fan growing up… from that moment on I wanted to wear #93,” Mitch stated, noting how watching Gilmour’s highlights and clips made him an instant fan of the iconic former Maple Leafs star. And his admiration is well-placed.

For over 20 seasons, Doug Gilmour played for seven different franchises, making him one of the most popular contemporary stars. With 1414 career points in 1474 regular-season games, the ex-Toronto center was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011, further underscoring why Marner is still enamored by the star who represented the latter’s hometown on the NHL stage.

Maybe knowing that he has the Leafs icon behind him will also help Marner to do well in his new camp. “Everything here is a good fit for my wife and me and our new son. The winning aspect of this team really helps everything as well. We have great players here.” during the press conference, Marner also noted how he felt like the Golden Knights provided him with the resources to win the Stanley Cup.

But while the newest Golden Knights signee is excited for the path ahead, we’re sure that fans back in Toronto are still tending to ailing hearts.

An emphatic collab, halted mid-way as Mitch Marner’s next chapter unfolds

Truth be told, the 2025 postseason didn’t pan out exactly as Marner would have hoped for. Despite finishing the regular season with a towering 102 points to his name, the forward only managed to bag 13 points in 13 playoff games. But the Leafs’ abrupt end to the postseason campaign also didn’t help his cause, either. Because, after all, Marner is right up there when it comes to being considered a bona fide Toronto legend.

A total of 741 points, Mitch sits in 5th place on the Maple Leafs’ all-time scoring list, while his 520 assists make him the 4th-most chance creator in the franchise history. His assists per game (.79) were even better, in which department he is second only to his role model, Gilmour (.82). In the playoffs, too, Marner’s 50 assists are the second-most, right after Dough (60).

Naturally, when the Golden Knights snagged the popular star for an 8-year, $96 million deal, the Maple Leafs fans must have felt a little sting, especially with Marner’s final postseason campaign with Toronto being as drab as it could get. But will that heartbreak be somewhat compensated? Can Marner make the most of his opportunity in Vegas? Will the blessing of the legendary Doug Gilmour shine through? Share your predictions of Mitch’s upcoming season in a comment!