The last time Mitch Marner skated on the Scotiabank Arena ice, him and his Maple Leaf compatriots were booed off the ice after a second-consecutive 6-1 hammering at home by the Florida Panthers, a loss which came in Game 7 of their second round encounter with the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Since then, Mitch Marner accepted a sign-and-trade that sent him to the Vegas Golden Knights, while the Leafs did a little overhauling of their own.
With the Leafs starting to play like a team that doesn't require Marner to achieve high levels of offensive production, the question that needs to be answered at Scotiabank Arena takes a radically different form.
Do the Leafs miss Mitch Marner? Or have the Leafs truly evolved into a multi-line team that requires no "Core Four" to operate?
If one is to go ahead and try to determine that answer from simply rewatching Thursday's game in Vegas, they'd likely come across a couple of conflicting arguments. For one, save for much of the third period, the Maple Leafs did a good job controlling the game and keeping Vegas at arms length; Toronto held a 2-0, 3-1, 4-2, and 5-3 lead at different points throughout the contest. That said, Mitch Marner did provide two assists and three shots on goal; however, this argument is rendered relatively moot as he didn't score a goal. In my opinion, that would've been more that enough to say "thanks for trading me." Even then, Mitch Marner did contribute to two big goals to help keep Vegas in the game, and the Knights would ultimately go on to win in overtime.
Even though the Leafs failed to secure the two points against Vegas, they'll have the chance to get the last laugh when they welcome the Golden Knights to Scotiabank Arena on Friday night.
The same can be said for Mitch Marner. If Marner can score a goal in Toronto and his Golden Knights can secure the win, the narrative should shift away from him simply packing up and leaving town. Rather, it'll focus on him capitalizing on a new opportunity with a new team, while also leaving his past struggles behind in the GTA.
Still, the question will be whether Mitch Marner can put it together in the playoffs. Through 70 playoff games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Marner has posted 63 points; just thirteen of those points were goals.
That said, Marner will have the likes of Jack Eichel and Tomas Hertl to work with; let's also not forget that much of this current Golden Knights squad did recently win a Stanley Cup. That should allow for Marner to benefit from a Stanley Cup-winning environment; maybe we do end up seeing him up his game in the playoffs as a result.
But that's a question for mid-April.
The question here is whether Marner can score against his former club. We all know he's capable of making the big play that leads to a goal, and this was on full display in the first meeting between Vegas and Toronto.
But revenge is a dish best served cold, and Mitch Marner scoring on his Scotiabank Arena return would more than likely drop the temperature on this revenge game.
Speaking of temperature, the fans attending Friday's game will more than likely be giving Mitch Marner the cold shoulder.
Yes, you did hear boos sent Marner's way during the first leg at T-Mobile Arena.
Multiply that by fifteen and you'll likely know what's coming Marner's way on Friday.
What I'm trying to say here is that not only is Marner going to have his on-ice demons to overcome on Friday, but he's going to have to battle an ex-fan-base as well. And to say the least, it's one that can get incredibly angry.
And Leaf fans are going to have their reasons to be mad at Marner. Whether it was his perceived inability to show up in the big postseason moments prior to the 2021-22 campaign, his major blunder in overtime of Game 7 of the Leafs' 2024 first round series against Boston, or him denying the Leafs' front office a potential trade for Mikko Rantanen at last year's deadline, there's reasons galore for Toronto to boo Marner.
Am I justifying or even encouraging fans to boo Mitch Marner? Absolutely not.
Do I think they're still going to end up booing Marner? Very likely.
Either way, Friday's rematch between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Toronto Maple Leafs is set to be one of the most interesting games so far this season.
And not only will Mitch Marner have a chance to put an end to most of the lingering questions surrounding his trade, but perhaps he'll have a chance to skate off the Scotiabank Arena ice with a much better result under his belt.