All William Nylander and Mitch Marner have ever known is being teammates on the Toronto Maple Leafs, but after nine seasons together, things are going to look much different moving forward.
The two superstar wingers will now be opponents, as Marner took his talents to Las Vegas, signing an eight-year, $96 million contract with the Golden Knights in free agency.
The Markham, Ontario, native’s departure has drawn plenty of criticism from the city and fanbase, including many feeling as if Marner had one foot out the door throughout the 2024-25 season.
However, William Nylander came to his longtime teammate and friend’s defense on Friday when asked about the situation at the NHL/NHLPA European Player Media Tour. Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com shared his response.
“Not sure where that stuff comes from, but I don’t think he was ever thinking of leaving ahead of time. I actually asked him during the season, and he said he was concentrating on Toronto. I didn’t want to press him on that and let him be because it was obviously on his mind, but his play was focused on helping us. Then I asked him after the season, and he wasn’t sure,” Nylander said.
“It’s tough seeing him go, but I’m so happy for him and his family. He got to pick where he went, so, in that aspect, I’m happy for him. We’re going to miss him a lot, but that’s just the business of the sport. That’s the way it is. So we’ve got to regroup as a team and figure out a way to keep winning,” Nylander added.
Nylander (8th overall, 2014) and Marner (4th overall, 2015) were drafted one year apart and developed into two faces of the franchise in Toronto.
Nylander will be relied upon that much more sans Marner
Without Mitch Marner, the Toronto Maple Leafs need William Nylander to lead the charge.
Auston Matthews is the captain and best player, but Marner and Nylander were right there behind him, and now that one half is gone, it’s on the other two to step up.
While he has also dealt with plenty of speculation about leaving Toronto, Nylander made his commitment in 2024, inking an eight-year, $92 million extension to remain a Maple Leaf for a long time. Thus far, he’s been worth every penny, and they’ll need that to continue for any hope of ending their longtime Stanley Cup drought in this era.
