When Mitch Marner left the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer, it seemed like he was headed for greener pastures in Las Vegas. After all, it seemed like the Golden Knights were a better team headed in a completely different direction.
For starters, the Golden Knights have already won a Stanley Cup. They arguably have a much better lineup and have made deeper postseason runs than the Leafs.
That’s why it seemed that Marner was ditching Toronto for the upgrade that would come from the bright lights of Sin City.
And for a while, it certainly seemed that way. But it’s been nearly a full season since Marner last donned the blue and white. And, well, things don’t really look that much better in Vegas than in Toronto.
The Golden Knights have 78 points and are in second place in the Pacific Division. That total point wouldn’t even be close to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Even with the Leafs’ disastrous season, they still have 71 points. That total would put Toronto within striking distance of a playoff spot in the West.
All right, so the Golden Knights are a bit of a big fish in a small pond. But Marner has surely made Vegas feel like they wisely invested $96 million in him.
Well, that too is up for debate.
Marner hasn’t exactly overwhelmed in Vegas
Marner has 19 goals and 70 points in 70 games with the Golden Knights this season. That’s not bad. Being a point-per-game player is certainly an achievement in the NHL. But it’s not exactly worth $12 million AAV. It’s also a bit of a drop since topping 100 points for the first time in his career. The expectation would have been for Marner to at least get close to his consistent career totals in Toronto.
Yet, he’s highly unlikely to get close to 100 points this season. Perhaps topping 80 would be a reasonable expectation.
Could that mean that Marner is headed towards a decline? It’s an unfortunate, but very real possibility. Marner could be trending towards an inevitable decline that just about every NHL star sees at one point or another in their careers. We’re seeing it with Auston Matthews. So, why not expect something similar from Marner?
Ultimately, the Golden Knights will make the playoffs this season, and the Maple Leafs will not. That might be enough to declare that the grass is greener for Marner in Vegas. They might even get past the struggling Edmonton Oilers in the first round. Heck, they might even make it to the Western Conference Final.
But once they eventually run into the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, or Minnesota Wild, the Golden Knights may end up falling painfully short against the West’s top dogs.