Jack Eichel and many around the NHL believe Mitch Marner was treated unfairly during his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs, especially during the times of hardship of the Maple Leafs' playoff failures.
"As a teammate and a friend of his, and somebody that cares about him and his family, of course I do. I think the world of Mitch. Anybody who has negative or bad things to say about him, obviously I disagree with, because I think highly of him." Eichel said on Monday during the Stanley Cup media day.
Mitch Marner's playoff failures with the Maple Leafs
Mitch Marner had a lot of bright moments with the Maple Leafs. During the regular season, he was an absolute superstar in the NHL, posting a 100-point season, consistently making plays and taking over games; however, once the postseason came around, he was flat-out terrible. While he was not the sole reason the Maple Leafs never went on a long playoff run, he played a massive role in it.
In 70 career playoff games for the Maple Leafs, Marner scored just 13 goals over that span. For someone who was supposed to be a top NHL player, that is very disappointing. His game seemed to change when the playoffs arrived; Marner became a smaller player who could not bring the same magic people had seen during the regular season. While the games got tighter and more physical, he was never able to find how to elevate his game to the next level until this season with the Golden Knights.
Marner's actions with the Maple Leafs raises questions about his time with the Maple Leafs
I believe there is more to this. Marner and his team, including his father and agent, were very demanding in Toronto. When things did not go his way with the Maple Leafs, Marner became selfish and believed he deserved better instead of being a team player and just playing hockey. During his first negotiation with former general manager Kyle Dubas, Marner threatened to leave and go play in Switzerland unless a contract was reached. Instead of trying to find ways to get a deal done, he was planning on leaving and finding other places to play, but it was only until a few days prior to training camp that Dubas finally folded and signed him to what seemed like an overpay at the time.
During Marner's last season with the Maple Leafs, the Markham native was already speaking with former teammates Max Pacioretty and Ryan Reaves about playing in Vegas, as well as with teammates who currently played for the Golden Knights at the Four Nations Face-Off. When the Maple Leafs reportedly wanted to move on from Marner and make a trade including Mikko Rantanen, he declined and wanted to stay in Toronto, despite knowing he was on the way out.
Jack Eichel acknowledges Marner's hardships with the Maple Leafs
Eichel later spoke towards there conversations, gearing up for the postseason as he acknowledged that Marner understands the tough times he has gone through in the postseason.
"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," he said. "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 said following game three of the Eastern Conference Finals that the Golden Knights "we don't turn on each other." When things go wrong on the ice, however, this can be seen as contradictory because during game seven of last season's second round against the Florida Panthers, Marner screamed at the bench to wake up while he was playing one of the worst games of his career.
Was Mitch Marner treated unfairly in Toronto? I don't believe he was. While some fans are frustrated seeing him find success in Vegas, those feelings are understandable. Marner's tenure with the Maple Leafs was filled with memorable moments and individual accomplishments, but it was also marked by repeated playoff disappointments and unmet expectations.
The Golden Knights currently hold a 1-0 series lead heading into game two on Thursday.
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