Auston Matthews Admits It Was “Tough” to Part Ways With “Friend for Life” Mitch Marner After His $96 Million Deal

Mitch Marner was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in July after he penned down an 8-year $96 million sign-and-trade deal.

Auston Matthews Admits It Was “Tough” to Part Ways With “Friend for Life” Mitch Marner After His $96 Million Deal

Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner (Image via NY Times)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

On Wednesday, Auston Matthews once again commented on the departure of Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The forward admitted that it was “tough” to part ways with him and dubbed him “friend for life.“

Marner joined the Maple Leafs in 2016 and formed a long partnership with Matthews. The duo, alongside William Nylander and John Tavares, were labeled as the “Core 4” of the Maple Leafs.

The forward, who was in the final year of his 6-year contract, would decline signing one of the largest contracts in franchise history and even blocked off some trade moves. In the end, the Maple Leafs and the Vegas Golden Knights agreed on a sign-and-trade deal regarding him.

Marner penned down an 8-year, $96 million contract and was traded to the Golden Knights. The Maple Leafs received Nicolas Roy in return.

While speaking with the media on Wednesday, Matthews wished his former teammate well and claimed that they are now ready to move on from him.

I mean, those are always tough conversations to have. Obviously, at the end of the day, you’re teammates, you’re also friends, and he’ll be a friend of all of ours for life. So those are always tough conversations to have, but at the end of the day, you know, he made his decision, and you know, we wish him nothing but the best moving forward, and we’re moving on.

Auston Matthews said on Mitch Marner’s exit

Marner was the leading point scorer for his team in the regular season last year. In 81 games, the Canadian international scored 27 goals and had 75 assists, bringing his total to 102 points.

He continued his impressive form in the postseason and racked up 13 points (2 goals and 11 assists) in 13 games. Unfortunately, he did not get the ending he wanted as the Maple Leafs blew a 2-0 lead and lost the second round series in Game 7 against the Florida Panthers.

Craig Berube makes light hearted joke following Mitch Marner’s exit from Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs will star a new era in the 2025-26 season. They no longer have the presence of Mitch Marner in their forward line following his exit. On Wednesday, head coach Craig Berube would make a light-hearted joke regarding his departure.

Mitch Marner and Craig Berube
Mitch Marner and Craig Berube (Image via Imago/ClutchPoints)

The summer had been an eventful one for the Toronto-based organization. While the loss of Marner left a huge void in their team, they have added several new names to the team. This includes the likes of Matias Maccelli, Dakota Joshua, and Michael Pezzetta.

Berube, who will enter his second season in charge of the Maple Leafs, expressed that he likes his current team. While speaking with the reporters on Wednesday, he praised GM Brad Treliving for his work.

He would then make a joke regarding Marner. He would tell the media that following Marner’s exit, he does not have to hear the words “Core 4” anymore.

I don’t have to hear ‘Core Four’ anymore. Hopefully, I don’t have to hear it from you guys (the media) the whole season.

Craig Berube joked about Mitch Marner’s departure

Berube’s first season with the Maple Leafs saw them finish top of the Atlantic Division. The coach, who came in following the exit of Sheldon Keefe, guided the team to a 52-26-4 record in the 2024-25 campaign.

They would then take down the Ottawa Senators in the first round in 6 games to advance to the 2nd round. The Florida Panthers eventually proved to be too strong for them and suffered a heartbreaking elimination in Game 7 after a 6-1 loss.

The 59-year-old will now be hoping to do one better and make a deep postseason run. He and his team will have to do all this without Mitch Marner and try to fill the gap in the attack that has been created with his move to the Golden Knights.

Also Read: