Mitch Marner Opens Up About Mental Health Struggles Following Stanley Cup Heartbreak

Mitch Marner opened up on his mental health struggles and elaborated on the "dark times" comment, two days after the Carolina Hurricanes ended the Vegas Golden Knights' Stanley Cup dreams.

Despite an all-world performance from Marner in the postseason (29 points in 22 games), the Golden Knights were unable to stop the surging Hurricanes.

Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jordan Staal and goaltender Brandon Bussi led Carolina to three straight victories after trailing 2-1 in the series, guiding the franchise to its first Stanley Cup title in 20 years.

After the Golden Knights swept the Colorado Avalanche to win the Western Conference, Marner said he experienced "dark times" earlier in his career. Marner later said he would only elaborate if Vegas won the Stanley Cup. Many interpreted Marner's comments as shots at his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday (h/t Daily Faceoff), Marner detailed his mental health struggles and elaborated on the "dark times" comment:

"When I said that, I think mental health is a super important thing to me," Marner said. "It really is. I've been really trying to take care of my mental health, probably for the last five years or so. I'm really thankful that I had some unbelievable teammates around me in Toronto that I was able to talk to, express myself, like my family, my brother, my mom, dad, my wife.

"There was some really dark moments there that the thought of playing hockey was really tough, honestly, in a lot of ways. It was just a dark kind of vibe, dark hole in a way. And I'm very thankful that I had people around me, teammates that asked me how I was doing and knew that I was going through something that I could talk to. I just think it's really important to always check in on your friends, your family, people around you, mental health."

Marner's 29 points led all NHL players in the postseason. Had they won the Stanley Cup, he would have most certainly won the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Mitch Marner Silenced the Haters in Year One With Vegas

Over his nine seasons in Toronto, Marner performed like a superstar in the regular-season. He was often the scapegoat for Toronto's postseason failures, scoring 63 points in 70 playoff contests as a Leaf.

But in his first year with Vegas, Marner erased the notion that he's not a big-game performer. He had one of the greatest individual playoff runs ever. Clearly, the veteran stalwart just needed a change of scenery.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 12:57 PM.