Mitch Marner once again leads the Toronto Maple Leafs to victory.
The Leafs continue to win despite the absence of their best player. Their embattled star right-winger, a player many wanted to ship out of town, is the biggest reason why.
Mitch Marner quietly put up another two-point game in the Toronto Maple Leafs latest victory, a 4-1 decision over the Montreal Canadiens in which he was, once again, the team's best player. It was his third consecutive multi-point game.
The Toronto Maple Leafs scored another two power-play goals (that's seven in their last three games) and survived an third period onslaught by the Canadiens who played a pretty good game but were, ultimately, no match for the Leafs much better roster.
Joseph Woll was great, John Tavares and William Nylander continued their strong play and Max Pacioretty suffered an unfortunate leg injury and had to be helped off the ice.
But the best player was Mitch Marner, who is now 11th in league scoring and has 20 points, which leads the leafs, who figure to get Auston Matthews back for their next game.
Mitch Marner once again leads the Toronto Maple Leafs to victory.
Stellar performances by both goalies and forwards John Tavares and William Nylander have overshadowed Marner's production during captain Auston Matthews's absence, but they probably shouldn't.
Stolarz has taken control of the starter's role in the net, while Nylander leads the team with 11 goals and is among the league leaders. Tavares has found the fountain of youth and has scored 8 goals.
That trio of players has played a big part in the Leafs success, but Marner's value can't be ignored. His start to the season has confirmed his worth to the team.
It's laughable that many thought the Maple Leafs should rid themselves of Marner during the offseason. Critics will point to his subpar production in the playoffs, but there is no denying what he brings to the table.
Marner's vision, edge work, and playmaking ability are elite. His and Nylander's patience and possession of the puck are the best on the team. Those skills have been integral to the team's resurgent power play, despite missing their best pure goal scorer, Matthews.
Marner is currently on an eight-game point streak. He leads the Leafs in assists and points. This is after going pointless in the first two games of the season. On top of that offensive production is Marner's play on the other side of the puck. He has double the number of takeaways of any other Maple Leafs player (Oliver Ekman Larsson) and the Leafs are playing to an 57% expected goals rating when he's on the ice.
Marner again leads the Leafs forwards in time-on-ice, averaging over 21 minutes a game. That number is only slightly behind defensemen Jake McCabe and Ekman-Larsson for the team lead.
He remains a significant factor on the team's penalty-killing units, an area that has greatly improved from the 2023-2024 season. His goal against the Canadiens was the team's first shorthanded marker of the year.
The win over the Canadiens improved the Leafs record to a mind-boggling 38-19-2 over the years with Matthews sidelined. Marner is a huge reason why. Nylander is also a huge factor in that surprising record, but he isn't entrusted with defensive responsibilities like Marner.
Marner has stated his desire to remain in Toronto. General manager Brad Treliving and Maple Leafs management have been tight-lipped regarding Marner's future. Both sides are content to play the season out. Marner is willing to bet on himself, while the Leafs are waiting to see what the playoffs bring and how Marner performs then.
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A reasonable deal for both sides would be halfway between Nylander's $11.5 million and Matthews' $13.25, and the Leafs would be well advised to make this deal as soon as possible, as it isn't getting any cheaper.