Ex-Leafs Star Mitch Marner Chokes in Shootout, Costs Golden Knights Season Opener in Vegas Debut

Mitch Marner wanted a change of pace in a more subdued hockey market this summer, which is why he agreed to sign an 8-year contract extension with the Leafs before accepting a trade to the Vegas Golden Knights ahead of free agency.

While Marner was hoping for greener pastures and a chance to get off on the right foot in Vegas, with a chance to ice the LA Kings on his stick in the home opener, a missed shootout opportunity ultimately cost his team the win as the Kings went home with a 6-5 win in Vegas, despite being down 5-3 in the contest.

Marner cut to his far left on the entry and was attempting to deke out Kings goalie Anton Forsberg when he made one-too-many moves and had nothing left to shoot at when he cut back hard to the right with Forsberg tracking him the whole way, giving him no room for error.

Marner's failure to come through in big moments appears to have followed him to Sin City.

The Markham, Ontario native did produce 2 assists and 3 shots on goal in just under 23 minutes if ice time in the loss, but just failed to capitalize with the game on the line -- something Leafs fans were accustomed to seeing during his time in Toronto, especially during the playoffs.

It's going to be a long season ahead, and there's certainly some time for Marner to fix some issues and get out of his head a little bit in a quieter market like Vegas. However, with a chance to be the hero and tie the game in the shootout officially missed, thus far, the start for Marner in Vegas is less than ideal.