Marner and the Golden Knights will face Toronto in the second half of a back-to-back.
Mitch Marner wants it to be just another hockey game.
However, that probably won't be the case.
Marner and the Vegas Golden Knights will welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs into town on Thursday night. It'll be the first time both teams will play each other this season, and of course, the first time Marner will go up against the organization that he spent his first nine years in the NHL with.
Marner departed the Maple Leafs in the summer after a sign-and-trade with Vegas. He signed an eight-year, $96 million contract before being traded for center Nicolas Roy.
"I haven't thought about (the game against Toronto) until right now," Marner told reporters on Wednesday night, after a 3-2 overtime win over the L.A. Kings.
"Been trying to just focus on our games, focus on who we play, and the next opponent. I'm sure on the plane ride home, it's going to hit more that that's tomorrow night. I don't think I gotta look at it any different. Just look at it as another hockey game, and just try and go out there and do my thing."
This won't be just another game, though; how could it be?
All the 28-year-old has ever known is to be a hockey player in Toronto. During his nine seasons with the Maple Leafs, Marner worked to cement himself among the organization's best players, ever.
He's 14th in goals, fourth in assists, and sixth in points.
The Markham, Ontario-born forward has gotten off to his usual pace with the Golden Knights, with 11 goals and 47 points in 45 games. He averaged 1.12 points per game with the Maple Leafs over the span of 657 games.
Marner might be in a new organization now, however, that doesn't mean he's cut off all communication with his former teammates.
"I’ve checked in with them throughout the year. I mean, I’m still obviously very good buddies with a lot of them," Marner said.
"Checked in with them, just seeing how they're doing, how their families are doing, talk to them over Christmas and holidays. Like I said, got really close to lot of them there and [they’re] like brothers, but there hasn't been too much talk about hockey, really."
Not only has he checked in with his old teammates, but Marner has also been keeping tabs on Auston Matthews, who just recently broke the Maple Leafs' all-time goal-scoring record.
"It was phenomenal. It was really cool. I knew it was gonna happen in a matter of time," said Marner, via Sportsnet's Anna Dua.
Marner assisted on 152 (the most of any player) of Matthews' 421 goals during his time with Toronto.
"I think everyone saw me congratulate him online but I talked to him after the game and just said 'congrats, what a great milestone'. He’s got his name with all the legends now and above them all. It’s a really cool thing, and I think it was really cool for all the legends to recognize it and give him his love too."
Once the final buzzer sounds on Thursday night, Marner will be halfway through his reunion with the Maple Leafs. It'll officially come full circle when he makes his return to Toronto just over a week from now, on Jan. 23.