Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner and wife expecting first child, Canada Reviews

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner may be on cloud nine after picking up two assists in Team Canada’s 3-2 overtime win over the US at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament last Thursday, but now the public is aware of another reason for him to celebrate — he and his wife Stephanie are expecting their first child!

On Sunday, Gaby McCabe — the wife of Leafs defenceman Jake McCabe — revealed the news on her Instagram story after sharing an image of a cookie adorned with blue icing alongside a card that read, “Oh Boy! Welcome Baby Marner[,] Love your Lady Leafs”, with the caption “We can’t wait to meet you” above the card.

GTA makeup artist Estelle Phillips also hinted at the news after posting a series of pics of the glowing mom-to-be on her Instagram page, with the caption “baby shower glam for our girl.”

The Marners will join other Leafs couples who recently became new parents. Last August, Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly and Olympic ice dancer Tessa Virtue welcomed their first child, McCormick Rielly (this was a few months after the couple announced that they were expecting in the cutest way possible), while Leafs defenceman Simon Benoit and his girlfriend became first-time parents in September.

As for Marner — he’s playing out his final year of a 6-year, $65,408,000 contract with the Leafs, with a cap hit of $10,901,333 per season.

The 27-year-old is having a fantastic season with the Leafs, with 16 goals, 55 assists and a total of 71 points in 56 games played. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but his future with the team is uncertain. NHL insider Bob McKenzie believes it’ll be unlikely he’ll renew with Toronto before becoming a free agent.

“Players like Marner are difficult to come by and if you don’t do well in the playoffs you gotta keep working at it, I know Leafs’ fans don’t like to hear that but I would try to sign him,” McKenzie said on Sunday night during the broadcast of a game between the Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks, according to HockeyFeed.

Wherever he ends up, Marner is thanking his loved ones for his success. After last week’s 4 Nations tournament win, he celebrated alongside with his wife and family, calling the moment “special”.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to celebrate something really special, and hockey-wise, winning,” Marner said. “It felt really cool just to have them around me with how much sacrifice and effort they put in throughout my whole life to get me to the point where I am today.”