Jeff Williams
I’m going to say right away that I think Marner will make the Maple Leafs out of training camp next season. He has the skill and vision to play at the highest level and at some point that’s all that matters.
“But he’s too small” is what I keep hearing. Yes. You’re all right. He is too small right now to be in the NHL and thats why he isn’t. He’s in the OHL. We’re not talking about now though, we’re talking about next year. For an 18 year old a calendar year can make a massive difference in his strength and frame.
“Management says they won’t rush prospects” is always the second point made. Again, I agree. They won’t rush prospects and again, that’s why Mitch Marner isn’t in the NHL right now. He’s dominating the OHL while he gains strength and confidence.
So lets talk out those two points, they seem to be the most prevalent among those that think he should return to junior.
Number 1 is easy. He’s small and as I said, a year can make a big difference to a small frame. He needs to approach this summer intelligently when he hits the gym. Its not as straightforward as going to your summer trainer and telling them to “make me big.”
We’ve seen this before in Leafs nation with Nazem Kadri. He was too small so he put on weight at the cost of speed. He was never the quickest player anyway so the further lack of speed really set him back. Marner will rely on his speed throughout his career so doing anything to jeopardize that probably isn’t the best course of action.
In my opinion, Marner simply needs to keep working on speed and conditioning while putting just a touch more concentration on bulk and strength. He’s never going to be a big, strong NHLer so why force it? The biggest stumbling block for many young players is trying to be something you aren’t or trying to do too much.
Simply put, Marner needs “man strength” and that’s something that comes naturally, not from the gym. So if he combines the natural size and strength that he’ll have packed on over a calendar year with what he was doing in the gym anyway, he should be strong enough to handle the vigor of the NHL this fall.
Number 2 is easier. Marner arguably had the skill to play in the NHL right out of the gate. He got pushed off pucks too easily and wasn’t effective in the corners but when he hit open ice opponents had trouble handling him.
If management wanted to rush him they could have started him in the big leagues right away but they didn’t. They wanted to let his body catch up with his skill. So they’ve given him a year to refine his game, get more crafty and grow stronger.
At the end of the day though, as I said, skill will be all that matters.
Marner is never going to be a big, strong player. He’s always going to be one of the slimmer guys on the ice. So in order to figure out how to play in the NHL with that disadvantage it’s imperative that he plays in the NHL with that disadvantage.
The last point I’d like to make is simple. His skill has outgrown the OHL. He’s simply too good to be there. If you want him to continue on an upward trajectory then you need to bring him up to the NHL. Ideally, he could play in the AHL against lesser competition. In a league where the protective “goon” still thrives and can look after him.
That’s not an option. Letting him stagnate in the OHL isn’t an option either. There’s only one option left. In the 2016/17 season I hope to welcome Mitch Marner as a regular Toronto Maple Leaf. Anything else would be a waste of a developmental year.
Next: Rachel Halliwell's Take