Mitch Marner calls two former Maple Leafs his closest friends and credits them for his Cup run

Mitch Marner is headed to the Stanley Cup Finals but hasn't forgotten his roots as he still looks to two old Maple Leaf friends for advice on his playoff journey.

Mitch Marner is headed to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in his career while also dominating the 2026 NHL Playoffs and effectively proved that he was absolutely a playoff performer despite the narrative surrounding him. Although he's left Toronto far behind, he's still taking time to ask for advice from some old friends in Jake Muzzin and Kyle Clifford.

Marner has 21 points so far and beyond that has shown an elite two-way game that has simply allowed Vegas to dominate from pillar to post. He's been so good in fact that other GMs are using their exit interviews to talk about it.

Mitch Marner revealed who he talks to from Toronto and it's two former veteran leaders

Though he never won in Toronto and likely doesn't really have any regrets about leaving, that doesn't mean he doesn't have friends or people he still keeps in contact with. They're his former team; not a bitter ex.

It's why it was genuinely nice to hear that Marner is looking to two old friends for advice, and if there's anyone who can help him adjust to the Finals it's Jake Muzzin and Kyle Clifford.

Marner name-dropped both guys as friends he still keeps in contact with despite being far, far away from the team and is happy to hear that regardless of how it ended - they're rooting for him:

One of my closest buddies that I've talked about for a long time is Jake Muzzin. I've always talked to Jake. Him and Kyle Clifford are really close friends of mine, so I've been talking to those two quite a bit throughout the year.

-

Muzzin, Clifford, and Marner were all teammates from 2021-2023, and both were brought in as veteran pieces who were able to win the big one before in Los Angeles, so they were hoping lightning would strike twice.

Clifford became more of an AHL mainstay meanwhile Muzzin's career was cut short by injuries that led to his retirement; though he now works in Toronto as a Player Development Coach, but it's great to hear that throughout all the turmoil and disappointment for everyone - their friendship is strong.

The friendships Marner built in Toronto are guiding him to a Stanley Cup that they'll never get to celebrate

Unless Marner decides to come to Toronto and hand off Lord Stanley's Cup to Muzzin and Clifford, then they're going to be celebrating from a distance. He may not have been built for the playoffs in Toronto but let's be honest - the team was never really built to win.

Outside of that dominant 2024 season where they did a number on the Florida Panthers, they really never kicked it into that second gear and found the help they needed. Marner was actually their best playoff performer of the Core Four, so he can hardly be blamed for everything.

But Vegas gets to reap the benefits considering they actually built a system that plays to his strengths, gives the proper support at every turn and doesn't play in a place that has so many expectations.

The Golden Knights aren't staring a near-60 year Cup drought, nor do they have a fanbase that has dealt with decades of disappointment; they're already won a Cup and have been perennial contenders since they came into the NHL.

So maybe that's why Marner is so successful. He finally left a place that never gave him the tools necessary to succeed. But it did give him two friends who can give timeless and invaluable advice, and for him that's certainly one of the best parts of him being a Toronto Maple Leaf.

Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Pavel Mintyukov is getting squeezed out of Anaheim and Toronto is the perfect landing spot