“You want to be in a place where you want to win,” Marner said. “That’s the whole goal of why we do this, you want to hoist that Stanley Cup. This team has shown that they can do it. I’m lucky enough now to hopefully bring another piece in to help bring it back here.”

The latest reports indicate that the Golden Knights are pursuing a sign-and-trade with the Maple Leafs to get Marner an eighth year on his contract that can only come if he first signs with Toronto. Doing that would give Marner something like an eight-year, $112 million ($14 million AAV) deal.