Mitch Marner leads the Toronto Maple Leafs in points but he only has two goals, so is that concerning?
When I think of Mitch Marner, I don't think of goals. Instead, I think of his creativity and ability to pass the puck, making everyone on the Toronto Maple Leafs better. However, it's not like he's one to score 10 goals a year. Instead, he has scored at a 30+ goal pace for four straight seasons.
At this curent rate, Marner is only on-pace to score eight goals this year. I know it's early but this is a huge concern, so far, even if this is highly likely to be a situation of bad shooting luck.
As much as his point production is great, I don't love that he only has one goal because it's not like he's not shooting the puck or playing little ice-time. In fact, he's averaging the same amount of shots on net as years past and is playing the same amount of minutes. The only real difference is that this year he's scoring on 5 percent of his shots instead of his usual 15%.
From an assists perspective, he is technically on pace to have his best assist season of all-time, but his season would end like this: 8 goals and 82 assists. This pace may change soon, and 13 games is a tiny sample size, but that doesn't mean it's not concerning.
Marner Needs to Start Scoring Goals
We're already into November and Marner needs to start scoring. The Leafs power-play has been struggling lately, and I think a big change could be if Marner shoots the puck more and is looked at as a sniper instead of a playmaker.
Marner's creativitiy is obviously his best attribute but his shot is still very good. It's not the most powerful shot in the NHL, but he knows where to pick his spot and can always dangle the goaltender to find an open net.
With an expiring contract, I'm not sure if Marner is thinking too much about scoring, or if he's just too focused on playmaking, but it feels like he needs to snap out of this funk in the next few games before it becomes a bigger story.
Since Marner is still shooting the puck, I think he's due for a breakout soon so if you're a gambler, don't be afraid to sprinkle him as an anytime goal-scorer or a multi-goal scorer one of these days because he's bound to score.