'It Was the Hate Comments': Insider Shares Rare Behind-the-Scenes Details of Mitch Marner's Time in Toronto

In a new interview with former Toronto Maple Leaf Mitch Marner following his departure, TSN reporter Mark Masters says that the hate comments towards him created a negative mental space, as well as some comments bringing a fear for Marner's safety.

According to Masters, Marner had found the persistent negative response towards him on social media to be difficult to handle mentally, with at a point Marner having felt a "burnout" from the vitriol online that he had an awareness of.

Masters also shares that it was not just negative comments getting to Marner's core, but that some comments were enough to have him hire private security after the 2025 NHL playoffs.

The newly-released interview with Marner reveals the mental state of Marner's time in Toronto, and provides an understanding of what helped lead to the boyhood Leafs fan struggling with becoming their scapegoat, and soon after, their villain.

Marner, who had spent his whole NHL career with Toronto up until a public contract dispute led to him being dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade, a new era for the Leafs.

With Marner's exit, the hostility from some on Leafs social media towards Marner have continued to attack the forward, with remaining anger had between the fanbase and what was once one of their key stars.

Although known that Marner had issues with the outside questions from the fanbase and the media, only now has the full picture from Marner's side become known, and just how much it impacted him psychologically.

Social media, with it's anonymity and increasingly unfiltered allowance of rhetoric, has made many online more comfortable with how far they'll go in their comments.

Marner, who had the perceived view that he didn't play hard enough, that he wasn't a winner, and didn't have the mentality to succeed, were all popular comments online for years, with some of it festering into the media landscape as well.

Going from the internet to the mainstream, much of the concerns over Marner were more watered down, but online, the criticism of Marner could become nasty, and with the intensity of sports do some fans become rabid, and feed on negativity.

While criticism has always been essential to analyzing and dissecting a team, it became apparent that Marner was going to be the online punching bag, and for obvious reason.

For one, Marner was in a contract year. With the view of his work ethic and mentality, he was an easy target to go at for what was a Leafs team that had continued to underperformed each season.

Many criticisms of Marner had their share of merit, but were also riddled with much of the blame put on Marner's shoulders, with the critical analysis substituted for plain criticism.

According to Masters, Marner had a mental coach, but it's not known how those discussions impacted Marner and what it meant for how he goes about handling negativity online.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will go into next season with a new identity and look, but it won't be enough to avoid the Mitch Marner question online, and for now has not shown that the negativity that caused his exit is going away any time soon.