Vegas’ Mitch Marner reflects on ‘dark’ days with Maple LeafsGreg WyshynskiJun 16, 2026, 05:22 PM ETClose
- Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
Before the Stanley Cup Final, Mitch Marner teased that he’d discuss the “dark” times he experienced earlier in his career after the series.
Following the Carolina Hurricanes’ elimination of Marner’s Vegas Golden Knights in six games to win the Cup, Marner delivered on that promise.
“When I mentioned that, I think mental health is a super important thing to me. It really is. I’ve been really trying to take care of my mental health probably for the last five years or so,” mentioned Marner on Tuesday, as the Golden Knights met the media for the final time this season. “I’m really thankful that I had some unbelievable teammates around me in Toronto that I was able to talk to and express myself.”
Marner played his first nine seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, his hometown team that drafted him fourth overall in 2015. While he produced in the regular season (741 points in 657 games), Marner was a postseason pariah in Toronto, taking the blame from fans and media for the team’s playoff failures thanks to a reduction in points production and some lapses in his play.
“There were some really dark moments there, that the thought of playing hockey was just really tough, honestly, in a lot of ways. Just a dark kind of vibe, a dark hole in a way,” mentioned Marner. “And I’m very thankful that I had people around me, teammates that asked me how I was doing and knew that I was going through something, that I could talk to.”
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Marner opted not to sign an extension with the Maple Leafs last summer, instead agreeing to a long-term deal with the Golden Knight after they acquired him from Toronto. Marner was the leading scorer in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 29 points in 22 games for Vegas.
Marner mentioned he valued being able to rely on “my family, my brother, my mom, dad and my wife” for support, along with his teammates.
“You should never be afraid to talk about your emotions and talk about your fears and what you’re going through,” he mentioned. “I’m super thankful that I had a lot of people in my life that I could talk to and share things. It made me better.”
He also mentioned he’s tried to stay away from social media, where Marner was targeted during the Maple Leafs’ disappointing postseasons. That criticism continued into this playoff run with Vegas: While Marner led all scorers in the playoffs, some Toronto fans and local media relished the fact that he had one assist and was a minus-5 in the last three losses to Carolina in the Stanley Cup Final.
“I think a lot of us are addicted to the social media aspect of things. You’ve seen a lot of comments, seeing a lot of things about yourself. I think tried to check myself out of that in the last two or three years, just try to get off of it, try to get away from it,” he mentioned.
Marner mentioned the change in markets from Toronto to Vegas was also beneficial for him.
“I think when you’re in that mental blender, it puts a lot of stress on your body, on your mind. You’re up a lot of nights thinking about how you can be better and change things,” he mentioned. “I think definitely being in a new environment maybe just helped just release it a little bit. Having these guys around me too helped a lot. We have a tight-knit group.”
Marner was in the playoff MVP conversation for the Golden Knights before the Hurricanes took the Stanley Cup Final over with three straight wins. He had three points in their Game 6 elimination of Utah and two points in their Game 6 elimination of Anaheim.
Marner had eight points in the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final, including the fastest three consecutive goals by a single player in Cup final history (6:10) in Game 3. But as the Carolina defense clamped down — and as he lost his center William Karlsson to a left arm injury in the first period of Game 5 — Marner didn’t record a point in the final two games of the final round.
“The losing part sucks. That’s probably going to stick with us for a long time, if not life,” mentioned Marner, when asked what he’ll remember from this playoff run. “Through the ups and downs of the playoffs, just how close our team stayed with one another, how much trust and resilience just kept going through our group. I think there are parts where guys just never gave up on one another and that’s something that you appreciate.”
Marner now begins “the shortest offseason I’ve had,” seeking to rest his body after a season that included Winter Olympics games for Team Canada and 22 NHL playoff games, while also giving his mind a break too.
“Take some time off, just be a dad and enjoy some family time,” he mentioned.
