Toronto Maple Leafs G.M Is Right to Call Marner Criticism Idiotic

If you were hoping to see the Toronto Maple Leafs make a blockbuster trade this off-season, Mitch Marner won’t be involved.

The Toronto Maple Leafs held their year-end press conferences on Wednesday and Kyle Dubas told the world that Marner isn’t going anywhere. 

Although that should have been clear to everyone anyways, the GM was unequivocal in his response to the idea.

In fact, he didn’t understand how anyone could criticize Marner in the first place, saying the following:

"“I don’t get the criticism of Mitch Marner one bit. I really struggle with it…“He’s a guy that plays his ass off every night, has got tremendous skill, tremendous intensity, plays every situation for us, makes a ton of plays. And everything he does wrong, people jump all over him about. I don’t know how or why it’s that way.”"

The GM went on to call criticism of Marner “idiotic,” and he was right to do so.

Leafs fans hate the fact that a winger makes $10.893 million per season. Even Auston Matthews gets yelled at for making $11.634 million per season and he’s arguably the best pure-goal scorer in the league!

Until this team wins the Stanley Cup, fans will always be angry. It’s unjustified but Marner is the perfect candidate to yell at.

Marner Is NOT Getting Traded

Marner’s game is very creative and he’s one of the most skilled players in the NHL. But, when Joe from Sudbury watches the game, all he sees is an overpaid player making “hot-dog” moves.

He’s not looking at his assist total but instead screaming at the TV, asking himself: “How is someone who makes $10.893 million per season, fifth in goals scored?”

In 18 less career games played, Matthews has 75 more goals than Marner.

Yikes.

Critics can’t seem to understand how he’s getting paid almost the same amount as Matthews but can’t come anywhere close to the goal totals he has.

Although I can understand why people think Marner is overpaid, you have to look past his goal totals as your final argument.

In 300 career games, Marner has averaged 0.97 points per game. Although it’s less than Matthews (1.01 points per game), he’s right there.

If it wasn’t for Marner’s injuries this season, he most likely would have score 90-plus points again. Over the last few seasons, there have only been a handful of players that have scored that many points, so that has to account for something.

If you did into the advanced stats, Marner is an elite player.  He’s elite any way you want to look at it, and elite players are hard to find.  You don’t trade them when you do find them.

Marner has also turned into a great penalty-killer who isn’t afraid to put his body on the line to save a goal or to create one.

Trading Marner is not going to solve anything right now because who do you really think the Leafs would get in return for him? The History of trading star wingers under 24 years old is fraught with disasters.

It is a lot easier to find a complimentary defenseman than it is to find a 90 point winger. You don’t move the latter for the former.  Ask Edmonton how that worked out.

If you’re upset about having to watch Marner in a Leafs jersey for the next few years, watch this.

If that doesn’t remind you of the excitement he brought you just a few years ago when the Leafs drafted him, then maybe you’re not cut out to be a fan in the first place.