Golden Knights' Mitch Marner Returns to Roots With Number Change

Mitch Marner will have a new, but familiar number when he arrives as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights.
Apr 5, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitch Marner (16) skates during the warmup before game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Apr 5, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitch Marner (16) skates during the warmup before game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

The Vegas Golden Knights have made it official and announced that they have acquired superstar forward Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Marner is headed to Sin City with an eight-year deal worth $12 million annually, pretty quickly making the Golden Knights true Stanley Cup contenders, yet again.

Marner will arrive as a member of the Golden Knights with a pretty noticeable, but familiar change. Pavel Dorofeyev is already wearing Marner’s No. 16 in Vegas, but the Golden Knights’ newest superstar already has a solution.

During his days in junior hockey, appropriately with the London Knights, Marner wore No. 93. Upon officially joining the Golden Knights, Marner will become the first player in franchise history to wear 93. Once a Knight, always a Knight.

Marner couldn’t wear 93 in Toronto thanks to it being retired for Maple Leafs great Doug Gilmour. A new team means a new opportunity for Marner to return to his roots, and reclaim a number he became very fond of developing into an NHLer.

The No. 93 was so important to Marner he found a way to sneak it into his contract with the Maple Leafs. In 2019, Marner signed a six-year deal worth $10.903 million annually.

Coming off a 102-point season, Marner will have a new home and a new number as he looks to accomplish something he couldn’t in Toronto.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

Nick Horwat is a contributor with Breakaway On SI. He was previously a credentialed reporter for The Hockey News covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A Pittsburgh native, Nick graduated from Point Park University and started reporting on news and sports with KDKA Radio and 93.7 The Fan. After hosting a Penguins talk radio show in college, he morphed the show into a podcast. The Tip of the Ice-Burgh Podcast has been a leading Penguins podcast since 2019. Follow him on Twitter @NickHorwat41.