The Toronto Maple Leafs have dealt forward Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights on the eve of free agency, sources told ESPN's Emily Kaplan on Monday.
Poised to test the unrestricted market for the first time, Marner was one of the biggest names on the lists of potential pickups for several teams this summer. He just wrapped up a six-year restricted deal with the Maple Leafs that carried a $10.9 million salary cap hit.
An accomplished goal scorer, Marner, 28, will bring instant offense to his new team's top line. He had 27 goals and 102 points with Toronto last season as the Maple Leafs raced to the Atlantic Division title. The durable Marner, the former No. 4 pick in the 2015 draft, has 221 goals and 741 points across his career, and he has reached 80 games in four of his nine seasons.
A native of Markham, Ontario, Marner has been a main focus of the Toronto media for nearly a decade, and aside from the Maple Leafs' postseason run, his pending free agency was the biggest story surrounding the franchise most of the season.
