Mitch Marner‘s agent feels the Toronto Maple Leafs “never protected” Marner in his time with the team.
“As time went on, Mitch became the focus of everything,” Darren Ferris said on the PuckPedia Hockey Show. “Scrutinized for every game, him and his family criticized after every loss, at points receiving threats on social media, which was disturbing. … There was a hysteria. You gotta remember, Mitch was carjacked in Toronto. Every year the team came up short, he was the one singled out.”
Ferris added: “He really bled for that team, and he was never protected by his organization, in my opinion.”
Marner departed his hometown Maple Leafs last offseason, joining the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade on the verge of free agency. He spent the first nine seasons of his career with Toronto, but faced significant scrutiny for Toronto’s playoff failures despite qualifying each year.
Ferris explained he sat down with then-Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving to discuss Marner’s situation during the 2024-25 season and tabled their concerns. The Maple Leafs later approached Marner about a potential move to the Carolina Hurricanes near the trade deadline, which Ferris feels made matters worse.
“That Carolina thing, that whole event of what happened, I don’t think helped the situation,” Ferris said. “I think there was no real effort by the organization to rectify any of the concerns.”
The Maple Leafs missed the postseason last year in their first campaign without Marner. Meanwhile, Vegas went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Hurricanes. Marner led the Golden Knights with 10 goals and 29 points in the playoffs.
Marner was booed by Maple Leafs fans both in Vegas and in Toronto last season, but the Golden Knights came away with wins in both contests.
“He’s really enjoying it (in Vegas),” Ferris said. “He’s got a clear mind. He’s able to focus on hockey. It’s unfortunate in Toronto the way things went.”
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Source: Sports Hockey – The Score
