Mitch Marner admitted Tuesday that the decision to leave the Toronto Maple Leafs wasn't sudden, but instead had been building for nearly two years. In his introductory press conference with the Vegas Golden Knights,

Marner was set to hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career after his contract with the Maple Leafs expired on June 30. Rather than hit the open market, he was dealt to Vegas in exchange for Nic Roy and proceeded to sign an eight-year contract worth $12 million per season.

Marner signed an eight-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $12 million