Mitch Marner Allegedly Hurt Maple Leafs Locker Room, His 4 Nations Behavior Said It All

As the dust settles after the Mitch Marner saga, both sides are looking towards the future. Marner is hoping to find success in Vegas, meanwhile the Maple Leafs are looking to go in a different direction, and have already made a lot of changes to the roster.

But there was a lot of animosity and tension between the Maple Leafs and Marner, and it seemed the tenuous relationship came to an end at the worst time (though through no fault of the team).

That may have been amplified if you listen to Marner's comments in his introductory press conference.

Speaking for the first time as a member of the Golden Knights, everything seemed to go smoothly (for the most part at least) and Marner seemed genuinely excited to start a new part in his career, though may have already had his sights set on Sin City.

He admitted that during the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament that he spoke around to several players trying to gauge the type of environment Vegas was to play in, and seemingly had his mind already set:

Word travels fast though, and it would have been hard for Marner to keep that a secret from his teammates, and while they were all working towards a collective goal, there's something to be said about the locker room morale.

Marner isn't shy about throwing his teammates under the bus when frustrated, and while he's had a ton of success in the regular season, his consistent inability to perform in crucial games has brought him a lot of criticism.

It was that criticism that helped him leave Toronto, and while he may have been gracious enough to let them at least get some assets back in return, he sounds thankful to be in a smaller spotlight.

If Marner and his wife were already dead set on Vegas, and the forward still vetoed several trades, it's a bit frustrating for fans. Though Marner admitted he did not want to be a deadline rental, if he was already leaving then what did it matter? He could have refused an extension on his new team and still ended up in Vegas.

The frustration fans felt though should dissipate within a few months, as the Maple Leafs try to find success with a new crop of talent.

Just don't expect Marner to receive a hero's welcome upon his return.