Mitch Marner Thumbs His Nose at Leafs Nation Following Trade to Vegas

Former Maple Leafs star winger Mitch Marner has been largely out of the public eye in these past couple of weeks after being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights mere hours before free agency began.

Earlier this week, however, a video emerged of the 28-year-old Marner wearing Golden Knights gear during an on-ice session as he prepares for his first season with Vegas.

During his introductory press conference in Vegas, Marner revealed that the pressures of being in the spotlight in Toronto had been weighing on him and began to make him think about leaving as far back as a couple of years ago.

His wariness of the media and being in the spotlight is something that much of Leafs Nation felt was odd for someone that understood the market as well as Marner, but it showed that he wasn't quite built for it either.

As of right now, it is believed that Marner may not meet with the media when he comes back to Toronto in January.

With his lack of desire to be in front of a camera throughout his time in Toronto, even during the off-season, the video of Marner donning his Golden Knights gear while training has immediately left Leafs Nation scratching their heads, because Marner seldom -- maybe never -- exhibited this behaviour or willingness to take part in publicized training videos during the summer. Until now.

One has to wonder if perhaps this was done with intent, especially because the video took place in Muskoka, rather than somewhere closer to his new NHL club in Vegas.

Leafs Nation will have to wait until January to see the London, Ontario native on the other end of the ice, with many suspecting that Marner will receive a hostile welcome when he takes to the ice at Scotiabank Arena.