Toronto Maple Leafs: Mitch Marner May One Day Win the Selke

Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Mitch Marner has made many strides to improve his game, and he has proven that he is both dependable and dangerous on both ends of the ice.

Mitch Marner has become an amazing forward for Sheldon Keefe and the Toronto Maple Leafs, adding some sandpaper to his skillset on both ends of the ice.

Marner is obviously a force to be reckoned with on offense with his talented playmaking, but the way he stays defensively responsible has stood out for me.

We all know about Marner’s key shot blocks against the Boston Bruins in the playoffs, but the fact that he is trusted on the penalty kill (and currently has 3 shorthanded goals) proves that Marner has become a key two-way forward who is not far away from Selke Trophy nominations.

The Selke Trophy is awarded to the player who excels in the defensive aspects of the game.

Toronto Maple Leafs Defensive Star

Generally speaking, the trophy is given to the best two-way forward as players like Jonathan Toews, Patrice Bergeron, and Pavel Datsyuk are obviously not just talented defensively. The most recent recipient of the award was Aleksander Barkov and he is no slouch when it comes to offense, either.

Mitch Marner has made the proper steps to compete for this award due to his willingness to block shots, attention to defense in the d-zone, an active stick and his ability to read the puck. When he is on the ice, the opposition really cannot play a lazy powerplay scheme as Marner can score off a takeaway. His ability to go from defense to offense is second to none.

He also added sandpaper to his game, not being a pest to play against defensively because of his work ethic and skills on offense, but defensemen know he’s on the forecheck as he has started to take the body. This is an underrated skill as while the defense and opposition always target the stars, it is very rare when the star players dish out physicality themselves. Adding this element will only do him well as the Maple Leafs approach the playoffs.

Mitch Marner has become the Toronto Maple Leaf’s one-two punch with Auston Matthews, and Michael Bunting has been keeping up with them admirably.

However, Marner is a force on defense as well, being trusted on the penalty kill. As the most elite two-way players tend to be the ones who earn the Selke Trophy, Marner shouldn’t be too far away from nominations for the award.