When the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Mitch Marner fourth overall at the 2015 NHL Draft, it was the homecoming he always dreamt of. Marner, who grew up a Maple Leafs die hard and starred in the Greater Toronto Hockey League, was getting his chance to join the organization he grew up idolizing.
Selecting Marner made a ton of sense back in 2015, and frankly, it still does. From his draft year, only Connor McDavid has more points. The Edmonton Oilers’ captain also has more playoff wins, which should truly be the only stat anyone is worried about this season for Marner and the Maple Leafs.
Leafs Nation is desperate for playoff wins. They’re desperate for meaningful hockey late into the spring and early summer. It’s been a grind for a long time in Toronto, and especially since Marner came into the picture, likely due to the fact it feels like the Leafs have a legitimate shot, but unfortunately, no results.
The regular season production is there for the Leafs’ winger, with 639 points in 576 games. Impressive stuff, to say the least! Add another 50 points in 57 career playoff games, and it’s obvious Marner knows how to hit the scoresheet.
It’s not always sunshine for the Maple Leafs’ star when it comes to the playoffs. Marner has struggled in Games 5, 6, and 7 of a playoff series, especially over the past five seasons. How bad is it? He’s the least productive of the Maple Leafs’ core four stars, registering just five assists in 16 playoff games. It’s not good enough, and yes, it’s extremely hard to put a finger on what the issue is.
All game 5, 6 and 7 playoff stats (2019-2024):
Nylander — 16 GP | 6 G | 7 A | 13 PTS
Matthews — 14 GP | 6 G | 4 A | 11 PTS
Tavares — 13 GP | 5 G | 5 A | 10 PTS
Marner — 16 GP | 0 G | 5 A | 5 PTSWhat’s the most shocking part about this list? #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/kgODty0JIG
— Big Head Leafs (@BigHeadLeafs_) July 22, 2024
Everything came to a boiling post this past summer after the Boston Bruins eliminated the Maple Leafs in seven games. Marner just happened to be on the ice, as the closest forward to Bruins’ David Pastrnak, who jumped on for a shift, stayed on his off wing, and then beat every single Leaf in a foot race to the loose puck, including Marner, who had a perfect view of the team’s season coming to an end.
The noise picked up in the offseason as Marner was eligible to sign an extension on July 1, and so far, no deal. After another disappointing playoff exit, and an underwhelming series, parts of the fan base turned on the Markham, ON native. The chatter became so loud league-wide that several players publicly stood up for him.
While the Leafs forward was busy meeting up with his new head coach in a coffee shop to discuss goals and expectations of the season, Bogosian was a guest on the Cam and Strick podcast, sticking up for his old teammate.
“I’ll go to bat for Mitchy,” Bogosian said. “I’ve played with a lot of guys, he is as good of a person and a teammate as I’ve ever seen. A lot of people give him shit about this and that and we haven’t done this, and it’s, like, well, he’s trying everything.”
Bogosian wasn’t the only one going to bat for Marner, as Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon also came to his defense this summer. Marner, MacKinnon and several other stars, including Sidney Crosby, trained together for a couple of weeks in Colorado, and among some of the league’s top players, MacKinnon felt Marner should be in the conversation of the ‘best of the best’.
“It’s a hard league to win in and obviously I think Marner gets a lot of flak in Toronto, but he’s honestly one of the best players in the league,” MacKinnon said to Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin. “I play with some of the best players in the league, and then I skate with (Marner) and he’s right up there with anyone. Especially at that Vail (Colorado) camp, there’s a lot of good players, and he’s stuck out as one of the best for sure.”
There’s no doubt Marner is loved by his peers and his teammates. However, after eight seasons of what feels like the same song-and-dance, the fan base is getting tired. This season, Marner will look to win back the love of the entire fan base and it’s going to take a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to do so.
The Goal — Produce with the season on the line, quiet the doubters, continue legacy in Toronto
A perfect season for Marner starts with continuing to produce during the regular season, and elevating his game come playoff time. No more taking a back seat to the other stars, Marner needs to assert himself as an impact player in the postseason and play so well, the fan base sees it first hand, recognizes it and appreciates his efforts.
Regardless if Marner posts 100 points and wins the Selke this season, if the Maple Leafs get bounced in the first round again, nobody will remember the regular season, and there’s also a chance Brad Treliving and company move in another direction.
There’s no doubt there will be some noise around the trade deadline if Marner hasn’t signed an extension, and rightfully so, but the best case scenario will be he’s producing at a high clip, Craig Berube instills full trust in his game, and he builds a ton of momentum heading into the first round of the playoffs. Marner may have to lead the Maple Leafs to at least the Eastern Conference Finals. Anything short of the final four is going to leave people wanting more — more specifically Treliving and team president Brendan Shanahan, which could put an end to Marner’s legacy in Toronto.
After eight seasons of lofty expectations, this feels like it’s finally ‘the year’. A year that is worth all the marbles when it comes to Marner’s Maple Leaf career. If he wants to stick around long term and try to push this team over the hump with the Auston Matthews and William Nylander’s of the world, Marner needs to show up when the games matter the most.
Anything less, won’t be accepted and will likely lead to Marner wearing new threads next season. Let’s hope for everyone’s sake involved, it’s a storybook campaign, and Marner gets to live out his childhood dream to the fullest this season in Toronto.
The Expectation — Continue to be effective in all three zones, in all situations
Marner is likely to finish this season leading the Maple Leafs in ice-time. Craig Berube has shown throughout preseason action that Marner is getting the tap on the first line with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies. He’s getting the tap when the Leafs go down a man, and if the opposition takes a penalty, Marner is going to be a huge part of the first power-play unit. Berube is going to play the wheels off the veteran winger, there’s no doubt about it.
Marner recorded 85 points in 69 games last season, missing some time with an ankle injury. Another season of more than a point-a-game is the goal, along with the aim of getting back into the Selke conversation, as the league’s best defensive forward. Marner finished third in Selke voting two seasons ago, and last year, he finished 14th. Missing 13 games didn’t help, so his goal should be to play in at least 80 games, and continue to be a force in all three zones.
The shifty playmaker posted some career-highs last season, including 51 blocked shots, and a shooting percentage of 16.5%. Two categories that should continue to climb, as Marner’s going to play a ton shorthanded, and will be asked to sacrifice his body, in Lane Lambert’s new penalty kill set up that includes the forwards doing most of the work, while the defensemen stay close to home. Meanwhile, Marner’s shooting percentage was second to only Matthews last season, the greatest goal scorer in Leafs history. Shooting more isn’t necessarily the goal but continuing to take advantages of the open space, ought to be.
Marner doesn’t have to shoot more, he doesn’t have to hit more, he doesn’t have to take more faceoffs, or block more shots. He needs to continue exactly what he’s doing, producing big numbers in the regular season, and when it comes time for the playoffs, when the season is on the line, Marner needs to secure his legacy. And, that’s only going to be accomplished by performing at the highest level, when there’s the most to lose.
