Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon makes his thoughts on Mitch Marner's $96M sign-and-trade deal out of Toronto crystal clear

The Vegas Golden Knights strengthened their top-six forward group by adding Mitch Marner in a sign-and-trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Marner signed an eight-year, $96 million deal. Marner, 28, had the option of free agency, but instead, he chose Vegas as his next team.

Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon praised Marner in an interview with The Athletic this week.

"Just really an elite, elite player," McCrimmon said about Marner.

McCrimmon also clarified the wrong perception about Vegas and said that they target only specific players. He mentioned that Marner was exactly the type they wanted.

"There’s a perception that we go after every player," McCrimmon said. "We don’t. We are pretty specific about the players we have had interest in, (like) Mark Stone, Alex Pietrangelo, Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin, (and) Tomas Hertl. Those were big moves by our team... big parts of our organization.

"Mitch Marner is in that league and in that category of player... that’s why we were really interested in the player.’’

Marner was also interested in joining Vegas, and he explained his choice after the deal. He said Vegas was high on his list of possible destinations, and he chose the team to get a chance to win the Stanley Cup.

"You want to hoist that Stanley Cup," Marner said, via NHL.com. "And this team has shown that they can do it."

Marner scored 102 points for Toronto last season. He had 27 goals and 75 assists, and recorded 13 points in 13 playoff games. Now, he joins a strong forward group in Vegas.

Kelly McCrimmon wants Mitch Marner to "complement" the Golden Knights

Earlier in July, Kelly McCrimmon said the sign-and-trade helped keep Mitch Marner's contract manageable. The eighth year kept the cap hit at $12 million. Without it, the number would have been higher.

"For us, the eighth year really helped us in terms of what the AAV might be on his contract," McCrimmon said. "It’s about building a team that can win a Stanley Cup."

Now, in nearly a month, we will get to see Marner debut on ice in a Vegas Jersey. The new season is starting in October, and McCrimmon is looking forward to seeing Marner train for it.

"We’re looking forward to seeing him at training camp," McCrimmon said. "He’s a really high-end offensive player... a two-way player, generates offense, sound defensively. He’s going to complement what we have in Vegas and make us a better team."

Mitch Marner and the Golden Knights will start their preseason on Sunday against the San Jose Sharks.