If Leafs Fans Booed Mitch Marner In Vegas, Just Wait For Next Week In Toronto

When the Vegas Golden Knights beat Toronto Thursday, some Maple Leafs fans who made the away game booed former Toronto star Mitch Marner.

The booing was notable, and it was a harbinger of what's to come for Marner when the Golden Knights travel to Toronto to take on the Leafs Jan. 23.

"The great question was always what my expectations were, (but now) I think I know kind of going in," Marner told reporters after Thursday's overtime win. "They've got a passionate fan base. They've got a lot of love for their team. So we've got a lot of games between now and then, and I'm just going to focus on the next one."

However, if you think it's unfair of Leafs fans to jeer Marner, we're going to try to change your mind. Because in this writer's opinion, it's completely understandable that Toronto fans choose to let Marner have it. 

The vast majority of Maple Leafs fans are as supportive as it gets, and for most of Marner's nine seasons in Toronto, Leafs fans wanted only the best for him. So you should be able to see why there are hard feelings among Leafs Nation when it comes to Marner's exit.

Did Mitch Marner just get boo'd on home ice...? pic.twitter.com/fq0zCx0c47

— BarDown (@BarDown) January 16, 2026

Things might have been different had Marner agreed to a trade last season. He could've gone to another team, and Toronto could've added an elite-level player in return. It was reported the Leafs tried to deal Marner to the Carolina Hurricanes in return for star right winger Mikko Rantanen, but Marner prevented a trade from happening, citing his wife's pregnancy.

Instead, Marner played out the string in Toronto and left for Vegas this past summer. And while Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving did get talent back in the sign-and-trade deal for Marner, it wasn't what he could've got for the right winger on the open trade market. The Leafs are now in a battle just to try to make the playoffs without a clear-cut first-line right winger.

'Bit Of An Awkward One': Former Maple Leafs Forward Mitch Marner Reveals Why He Blocked Move To Hurricanes At Trade DeadlineVegas Golden Knights forward

Now, don't get it twisted – Marner was well within his rights to chart his own course. Players do that all the time, and Marner negotiated a full no-move clause in his final contract with the Maple Leafs, so you can't say he did something dastardly. 

But considering the team's lack of success, Marner being one of Toronto's stars who struggled to produce when it mattered the most in the playoffs, and not waiving his no-move clause at the trade deadline, the fans can't be faulted for feeling a little bitter. 

When Marner does play in Toronto for the first time since leaving for Las Vegas, there will be the standard tribute video on the big screen. But you'd better believe Marner is going to get booed often. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Marner could go on to have a long and productive career with the Golden Knights. But he went scorched-earth in his final season with the Leafs, and Buds fans are well-aware that he chose to do what was best for him, both last season and last summer. 

For all fan bases, loyalty goes a long way. That's why we don't begrudge New York Islanders fans for showering their former captain, John Tavares, with boos whenever he returns to Long Island. We have a lot of respect for Tavares as a human being, but we also understand that Islanders fans were doing what comes naturally when a star player departs – namely, lashing out due to the crushing emotional blow of a top player choosing not to play for them.

A similar situation happened with Phil Kessel, who didn't even get a video tribute when he played his first game back in Toronto with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The fans booed him every time he touched the puck. And like Marner, Kessel was criticized often when the Leafs couldn't reach their goals.

Mitch Marner Doesn't Need To Be The Same Superstar He Was With Maple LeafsMitch Marner's role with the Vegas Golden Knights is much different from the role he had with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His win over his former team on Thursday – and the boos from Leafs fans – showed exactly that.

In life, and in sports, breaking up is hard to do. And while it's admirable that some fans will cheer Marner regardless of where he plays, it's understandable that other fans will give him raspberries for the foreseeable future.

As time passes, perhaps fans will look back on Marner's Leafs tenure more warmly. But for now, it's tough to see that happening.

In the end, Marner did what was best for him. And just as you can't fault him for that, you also can't fault Maple Leafs fans for doing the same.

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