Mitch Marner didn't even set the record.
Of all the surprises of this saga, in which the offseason's top free agent was sent from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade, that might be the most surprising.
Marner could certainly have asked for the $12 million and change that would've made him the new winger annual average value record holder.
But his deal came in at $12 million even.
Does the record really matter? No.
But this says Marner just wanted out of Toronto. He just wanted to go to Vegas. He didn't feel like haggling over thousands of dollars in a deal worth millions.
Mitch Marner signs 8 years x $12M AAV in sign and trade with Vegas Golden Knights.
— Dave McCarthy (@DaveAMcCarthy) June 30, 2025
Not nearly the biggest contract in the sport. Suggests he just wanted to move on from the Maple Leafs.
Which is fine, which was his right.
Now we see how it all plays out.
MORE: Maple Leafs trade for Mitch Marner's replacement in buy-low deal from Mammoth
Like McCarthy writes above, it's Marner's right to want to leave.
Some whispers have suggested Marner wanted to go to Vegas for a while. Now he gets that outcome.
But it's a bit of a gut punch to Toronto. Marner had been such a crucial piece to the Maple Leafs, and now he's gone, and not even for a record-setting contract.
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