Mitch Marner praises Raddysh’s rise and doubles down on Stanley Cup push with Golden Knights

More than a year removed from his last game in a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater, Mitch Marner is firmly rooted in Vegas but still fielding questions about his hometown team. During the NHL media tour in Las Vegas, the Golden Knights winger opened up about his off-season, his determination to get back to the Stanley Cup Final and the unique path of a new Maple Leafs defenceman he has known since childhood, Darren Raddysh.

Marner sees Raddysh’s late rise as storybook return to Toronto

Marner spoke at length about Raddysh, a fellow Toronto product who finally broke through in Tampa Bay. The right-shot defenceman put up 48 assists and 70 points in 73 games with the Lightning, then was moved to the Maple Leafs in a sign-and-trade and immediately locked into an eight-year contract worth $8.5 million per season. It is a major payoff for a player who was never drafted and took years to secure a regular NHL role.

Having grown up alongside Darren and his brother, New York Rangers winger Taylor Raddysh, Marner framed that surge as the culmination of a long grind. He expects Raddysh to anchor Toronto’s top defence pair, bringing a heavy shot on the power play and a willingness to play with an edge. Marner summed up his reaction by saying he is “super happy for him,” emphasizing how hard Raddysh worked before his breakout year.

Marner noted that, like many kids from the area, Raddysh always dreamed of playing for the Maple Leafs and comes from a family that strongly supports the club. That context makes his arrival in Toronto, after establishing himself elsewhere, feel to Marner like a homecoming moment that resonates beyond simple roster moves.

Thoughts on McKenna, Bobrovsky and the Vegas market

The Golden Knights forward also weighed in on other high-profile additions in Toronto. He said he knows incoming left winger Gavin McKenna a bit and described him as a talented, playmaking forward excited to join the NHL. Marner added that he does not have a personal relationship with new Leafs goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky but became well acquainted with his work when Bobrovsky was starring for the Florida Panthers, pointing to the veteran’s strong track record.

Even while talking Leafs, Marner was quick to underline how invested he is in Vegas. He pushed back on the idea that Nevada is a soft hockey market, saying the Golden Knights receive passionate support and that he feels plenty of recognition away from the rink, even if it does not match Toronto’s constant spotlight. For Marner, that balance of enthusiasm and relative calm is something to value while it lasts.

Using last year’s Final loss as motivation for another run

Vegas reached Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final last season before falling to the Carolina Hurricanes, leaving Marner two wins shy of his first championship. He said he spent part of the summer stepping back and appreciating the season the team had, especially given that many observers doubted the Golden Knights would advance beyond the second round.

At the same time, the sting of coming that close still lingers, and Marner plans to channel it into his preparation for 2026–27. He believes the experience will help him and his teammates be even more ready if they find themselves in a similar position this spring. Confident that Vegas is built to contend again in the Western Conference, Marner views the upcoming season as another opportunity to show he can be a core piece on a Stanley Cup-winning team.