Mitch Marner was officially introduced as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday following the sign-and-trade deal that brought him to town from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Marner was set to hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career after his contract with the Maple Leafs expired on June 30. Rather than hit the open market, he was dealt to Vegas in exchange for Nic Roy and proceeded to sign an eight-year contract worth $12 million per season.
During his introductory press conference, Marner explained why he felt Vegas was the right destination for him and his family.
"Everything here is a good fit for my wife and I and our new son. The winning aspect of this team really helps everything as well. We have great players here. Luckily it all worked out because this is where we wanted to be," Marner said.
He also explained what went into his decision to leave the Maple Leafs after nine seasons with the organization that drafted him No. 4 overall in 2015.
"Last year in Toronto, or two years ago really... we didn't win, obviously. We didn't do what we wanted to do. Stuff started going a little north, little south. We didn't know what was going to happen. A lot of trade rumors all last summer, didn't know what was going to happen in that regard, either," Marner said.
"I was so grateful to play there for nine years."
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Mitch Marner is looking ahead to his new chapter with the Vegas Golden Knights.
(H/T: @GoldenKnights) pic.twitter.com/gPfqh1qPcK
"I was so grateful to play there for nine years. I said it in my end of year interview there, they took a risky pick on a small kid from Toronto that's forever grateful to be able to wear a Maple Leaf jersey and to be able to play in front of the greats that ever wore that jersey. Being a family man, a father, we thought it was time to look somewhere else, find a new home and find a new place to grow our family."
Marner had a rather tumultuous exit from the Maple Leafs, often scapegoated as one of the catalysts of the franchise's postseason shortcomings. Despite his prolific performances in the regular season, Marner and the rest of Toronto's core failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs, a failure which didn't sit well with the fan base.
Now, he's set for a fresh slate with the Golden Knights, where he'll hope to help contribute towards a Stanley Cup run.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mitch Marner Explains Decision to Join Golden Knights After Maple Leafs Exit.
