Mitch Marner’s Vegas nightmare will only get worse under new coach John Tortorella. “Torts” is famous for his temper and hard-nosed attitude in dealing with the players.
His stint in Vegas won’t be the exception.
That’s something that could end up making Marner’s life harder than it already has been this season.
The rationale behind Marner moving to Vegas focused on joining a winning organization with a real chance to win the Stanley Cup. That doesn’t seem to be the case this season. In fact, the Golden Knights aren’t that much better than the Maple Leafs this season. The Leafs have 32 wins, while the Knights have 33. But Vegas is in a playoff spot thanks to the weaker Western Conference.
If the Leafs were playing in the West, they’d be a point out of a playoff spot. They’d be contenders, not Draft Lottery candidates.
Beyond the standings, getting Torts is not something that Marner was counting on when he twisted the Leafs’ arm to pull the trigger on his sign-and-trade deal last season.
Under Torts, Marner will have to prove his role with the team. That’s pretty much what the veteran coach stated when asked about Marner in his first presser.
“tortorella is going to hate marner and marner is going to hate tortorella”
— yoyo (@poutingthrough) April 1, 2026
meanwhile tortorella: he's too good of a player to be locked down into one line all the time. (...) i got to watch him really live for the first time the other night. he's a pretty good player. 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/UAeAoocNY4
So, Marner “will be moved around.” That’s coachspeak for “Marner doesn’t have a clear spot in the lineup.” While that may be on Bruce Cassidy, the Golden Knights’ former coach, the fact of the matter is that Marner really hasn’t been the superstar the Knights hoped he would be.
The dropoff in Marner’s numbers has been evident. It’s fair to assume that Torts will push Marner even harder to be “the guy” for the Knights. If he can’t live up to that, who knows what reaction that may set off.
Marner will need to prove his worth in playoffs
As it stands, the Golden Knights are on a collision course with the Edmonton Oilers. That’s not going to be an easy first-round matchup. And it’s one in which Marner will need to prove his worth.
If he doesn’t, Marner’s place in the team may come into question. Think about the last couple of playoff runs Marner had with the Maple Leafs. Last year, Marner had 13 points in 13 playoff games. But he was notoriously absent in Games 5 and 7 against the Panthers. He had a combined three shots on goal in those two games.
The year before, Marner had three points in the seven-game series against Boston.
We’ve all seen the images of Marner trying to “lead” on the ice. Sure, the optics of berating teammates are nice and all. But it won’t do the former Maple Leafs first-round pick very much if he can’t put points on the board and wins for the team.
Marner has a unique opportunity to make his mark on the NHL. But if previous history serves as precedent, Marner is not going to have an easy time under Torts. Things may only get worse for him in Vegas. And knowing how cutthroat of an organization Vegas is, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear the Golden Knights shopping Marner if this season ends in a horrendous flop for the team.