Vegas Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel spoke to the media on Monday ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, and Eichel made one thing loud and clear – he has Mitch Marner’s back.

Eichel backed up Marner’s recent comments about playing through some dark times and while admitting he was paying close attention to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and isn’t surprised to hear Marner has some scar tissue from his tenure in Toronto.

“As a teammate and a friend of his, and somebody that cares about him and his family, of course I do,” Eichel said at Stanley Cup Final media day Monday. “I think the world of Mitch. Anybody that has negative or bad things to say about him, obviously I disagree with, because I think highly of him.”

“Mitch has opened up to me about some of the things that he went through, and I’ve opened up to him about some of the things I went through. I think it’s probably good for both of us to have done that,” Eichel continued. “Mitch is a big boy. He’s got some scar tissue to show for it. I don’t like people saying bad things about him because I care about the guy.”

Marner’s spoke recently about the ‘dark times’ he’s faced throughout his career and admitted if the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup, he’ll open up about what exactly he’s referring to. For Eichel, he had a similar experience in Buffalo, but with much less media attention, but regardless, the two players have a ton in common, and it’s certainly fueled their chemistry, on and off the ice.

“I always had such a tremendous respect for Mitch as a player, playing against him in Buffalo, when he was in Toronto, playing against him in different international events, watching him as a fan from afar of hockey,” Eichel told Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin. “I’ve always thought the world of him as a player. I have a few friends and close people in my life who have played with him, and they all speak so highly of him as a person, his character, how he is in the locker room, how he interacts with people. So, I always had Mitch in a really high regard and thought super highly of him.”

“And this year getting to know him now, obviously getting really close with him throughout the season, he’s just solidified all my thoughts on him. I have an incredible appreciation for the way he plays the game and some of the things he can do on the ice as well as the person he is and what he’s meant to our team off the ice. So, he’s been incredible for us all season, and it’s been a lot of fun getting to know him and spend time with him as well.”

Marner’s put his postseason struggles with the Maple Leafs in the rearview and needs just four more wins to hoist the Stanley Cup, while leading the league in postseason scoring. It would be very interesting to hear Marner open up about what exactly went down in Toronto, but for now, all he’s focused on is doing whatever it takes to lead the Golden Knights to victory.