Adding Mitch Marner makes Golden Knights even more dangerous

The Vegas Golden Knights, as they are well known for doing, made the biggest splash of the 2025 NHL off-season before free agency even opened on July 1.

The Golden Knights acquired star right winger Mitch Marner, who was set to be by far the top player available in free agency on July 1, from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a sign-and-trade before locking him down on an eight-year, $96-million contract that immediately cements him as a crucial piece of the team’s core.

After winning the Stanley Cup in 2023, the Golden Knights have exited two consecutive postseasons within the first two rounds. For a team that still has the talent to go all the way, adding Marner could prove to be a major difference maker come the spring of 2026.

On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL player Colby Cohen discussed the impact that Marner’s presence could have on the team moving forward.

Tyler Yaremchuk: We’ll start on the positive note, Colby. Who’s a GM who you want to give some flowers to and say that in these last 8 to 10 days they’ve done a bang-up job in improving their organization.

Colby Cohen: To me, what Vegas was able to do and get Mitch Marner, I know it was only one piece… they get Mitch Marner, and now Jack Eichel has the guy that he’s been dying to play with. You look at the way Eichel skates and the pace that he plays with, and you look at [Mark] Stone… while he’s extremely efficient, he just doesn’t get up and down the ice at the pace Eichel has. I also think that Bruce Cassidy has a way to get the best out of guys like Mitch Marner.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode below…