Mitch Marner Pays Tribute to Kyle Clifford as He Announces Retirement After 13 Years in NHL

The Mitch Marner era with the Toronto Maple Leafs officially came to an end this summer, as he was sent to the Vegas Golden Knights as part of a major sign and trade deal for Nick Roy.

Marner's time with the Maple Leafs resulted in numerous great regular seasons, but only a pair of series wins in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This year, Marner and the Maple Leafs were knocked out in the ECQF for the 2nd time in 3 years by the divisional foe Florida Panthers.

Marner also faced scrutiny for having only a single assist in Toronto's final 4 games against the Panthers.

In the meantime, Marner is paying tribute to a former Maple Leafs teammate of his, as Kyle Clifford announced his retirement from the NHL and has since been hired by the club.

Marner wrote a special tribute to Clifford on his Instagram account:

Clifford retires with 144 points (66G, 78A) in 753 games with the Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and Maple Leafs, along with a pair of Stanley Cup rings.

While Marner was linked to multiple teams in free agency, he was traded to the Golden Knights and then immediately signed to a massive 8 year contract with an AAV (average annual value) of $12 million.

He'll make $1.1 million more than he was making in his wrapped-up deal with the Maple Leafs, and will also be taking home more money thanks to the more tax-friendly laws in Nevada as opposed to Ontario.