LAS VEGAS — Matthew Knies is preparing for his third NHL training camp.

A familiar face won’t be there when the Maple Leafs hit the ice later this month.

Mitch Marner bolted for the Vegas Golden Knights in dramatic fashion this summer after nine headline-grabbing — and sometimes tumultuous — seasons in Toronto.

Selected fourth overall at the 2015 draft by the team he cheered for as a kid, the star winger put up a career-high 102 points in 2024-25 before the Leafs were forced to ship him out of his hometown in a sign-and-trade deal ahead of free agency.

Marner’s departure following another crushing playoff exit leaves a massive hole in the organization — both on and off the ice. Knies also said it won’t take long for Toronto’s new reality to become the norm.

“It’ll be a little weird ju

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