After re-signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a restricted free agent in the off-season, Mitch Marner seems happy to be home.
The 22-year-old from Markham, Ont., released a video on Uninterrupted reading a letter of appreciation to the city of Toronto and Maple Leafs fans.
“You hear from guys, ‘you know, you’re going to be living under the microscope in Toronto,'” Marner says in the video. “And you know what, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Marner signed a six-year, $65.3-million contract with Toronto prior to the start of the regular season. The winger finished the 2018-19 regular season with 26 goals and 94 points in 82 games, and added four points in the Leafs’ seven-game loss to the Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
He addressed the fans and the high expectations of playing for Toronto head-on.
“You’ve got your eyes on us because you know everyone’s got their eyes in Toronto,” he said. “Like they were with the (Toronto) Raptors, with Bianca (Andreescu). Your support makes us better.”
The winger also reminisced about his Jr. Hockey days with the London Knights, and the path that eventually led him to the Maple Leafs lineup.
“All that hard work, all of that sacrifice, was to achieve my biggest dream — to be a Leaf,” he said. “It’s where I’ve always wanted to be and now, it’s where I’m going to stay.”
Marner recorded one assist in the Maple Leafs’ 2019-20 season-opener win over the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.
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