Mitch Marner Reveals Which Leafs Teammate Was the Toughest to Inform of His Decision to Leave
Photo credit: Jerome Miron Imagn Images
In discussing his departure from the Maple Leafs on Thursday, Mitch Marner revealed which former teammate was the most difficult to tell he was leaving.
While in Calgary for Team Canada's Olympic orientation camp, Marner was gracious enough to sit down with TSN's Mark Masters to discuss his time in Toronto and his departure from the Maple Leafs.
During the interview, Marner was visibly shaken about the actions of Leafs Nation that forced him to hire security to watch his home for two weeks following the end of the season, which seemingly helped him reach his decision to leave.
Before revealing why he chose to leave, Masters kicked off the interview by asking the former first-round pick which of his former teammates was the most difficult to tell that he was leaving. Marner revealed that while it was hard to tell everyone, no call was more difficult to make than the one he made to Auston Matthews.
"Obviously, the phone call to Auston. That was a tough one. He had to get back to Arizona quickly after the season. I was going to try to get a sit-down with him before, but it just didn't pan out," said a visibly disappointed Marner. "That phone call to him was pretty tough. It was pretty emotional. We came in together, we did a lot of things together. Saying bye to Morgan (Rielly) as well, JT, and Willy. All those guys, especially us three (Matthews, Nylander, Marner), came in together and grew together. The market was tough to all of us at times and we had to lean on each other and it was tough calling those guys. It sucked."
Fans Seemingly Helped Make Mitch Marner's Decision For Him
Marner was very open with Masters, admitting that the team felt the same pain Leafs Nation endured after each and every failed playoff appearance, but that with a newborn son, the negative comments on social media and security threats, it was time for a new chapter.
Marner and the Vegas Golden Knights are slated to visit Toronto on January 23rd -- a date that Marner is looking forward to. Prior to leaving the set with Masters, the former Leafs star revealed that he would have preferred to have a day in Toronto instead of playing back-to-back.
Most expect Marner to be welcomed by a chorus of boos, but over time and given his latest comments, he may end up being welcomed back with open arms.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 29 | 1225 ANSWERS Mitch Marner Reveals Which Leafs Teammate Was the Toughest to Inform of His Decision to Leave Do you think fans were too hard on Mitch Marner for the Leafs' playoff failures? | ||
| Yes, he took too much of the blame | 469 | 38.3 % |
| No, he disappeared in big moments | 756 | 61.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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