Newest Maple Leafs' Signee Has Gone Viral on Social Media for a Very Bizarre Reason

After a particularly quiet couple of weeks in Toronto, the Leafs took care of some business on Tuesday, locking up skilled young defenseman William Villeneuve to a new contract.

Villeneuve is likely to play the entire season with the AHL's Toronto Marlies, and typically, an AHL defenseman signing a new contract wouldn't be the type of news that would create a ton of buzz. However, Villeneuve's new deal did create some buzz, and it actually links back to ex-Leaf Mitch Marner.

When the Leafs made the announcement official, they posted this photo:

A large contingent of hockey fans have flooded to social media to point out the fact that Villeneuve's image bears a striking resemblance to that of Mitch Marner.

Naturally, Marner and Villeneuve look nothing alike. Here's a side-by-side view of both players.

It is quite funny, however, that Villeneuve's photo posted by the Leafs does resemble Marner. His #76 even views like Marner's #16 at a quick glance.

At any rate, Villeneuve is destined to play his 2025-26 season in the AHL, while Mitch Marner will kick off his tenure in Las Vegas, Nevada. Still, this was a fun little occurrence to create some laughs during the dog days of summer.