The Toronto Maple Leafs have been rocked by a wave of controversy following Mitch Marner’s high-profile departure to the Vegas Golden Knights. After nearly a decade in blue and white, Marner’s exit has ignited fierce debate among fans, with new revelations about his alleged jealousy toward captain Auston Matthews adding fuel to the fire.

Social media is ablaze with rumors that Marner’s envy, stemming from early career contract bonuses and Matthews’ rise to stardom, played a significant role in fracturing their partnership and ultimately driving Marner out of Toronto. The passionate Leafs fanbase, already reeling from years of playoff disappointment, now finds itself divided—some blaming Marner for the team’s struggles, others questioning the dynamics behind the scenes. As the dust settles on this dramatic chapter, questions linger about what really went wrong between Toronto’s former stars, and whether Marner’s new start in Vegas will finally bring him the success that eluded him at home.

Photo credit: Blade of Steel Edit

Mitch Marner always brought out the anger in Maple Leafs fans, and a recent revelation on social media reveals his jealousy that led to his departure.

After nine years, Mitch Marner is officially gone from Toronto, with the hometown kid failing to help his team reach the Stanley Cup Finals (or even Eastern Conference Finals) during his tenure.

This summer, it became clear he was on the way out, and while he did make a sign-and-trade happen with the Golden Knights, he’s now a rival of the team, bringing out plenty of hatred in this passionate fanbase.

Now, a person in that fanbase has revealed the jealousy that Marner potentially had for Auston Matthews throughout his time with the team, all over Entry Level Contract bonuses from early in their respective careers.

According to one user, the extra bonuses that Matthews got on his ELC ate Marner alive throughout his career in Toronto, with the star forward likely to have left the team the last time he was a free agent if he didn’t get such a big deal with the team.

Unsurprisingly, fans were furious when Marner pushed his way out, and this has made it even worse, with many of them calling him out for his perceived jealousy in the comments.

There could be nuances to this story, sure, but on paper it doesn’t look fantastic, and after Matthews was handed the captaincy and given the record-breaking contract, it’s easy to see what Marner’s jealousy grew over the years.

Ultimately, Marner became the scapegoat for so much post-season failure in Toronto, so there’s no surprise that he wanted out, but with this jealousy coming to the surface, it shows that in some ways, he’s always wanted out, and that his partnership with Matthews wasn’t quite as steady as many believed.