What wrong with "Mitch'in" Marner?

[viper0220]

He is a very good regular season player but he just sucks in the playoffs, what the biggest issue with Marner?

He will blame the media but he does not help himself in any way by shutting up his critics. Maybe his father is too involved in his career.

If the Maple Leafs lose this series and Marner does not make an impact, there will be massive questions and Marner can't blame the media.

Mitch Marner reminds me of Johnny Gaudreau in Calagry.

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[DitchMarner]

When he was younger, he wasn't bad in the playoffs.

He put up some points but also competed and it seemed like he would be fine with more experience.

But now it seems like he has some sort of a mental block and he doesn't look very noticeable out there.

To be honest, his skills seem to have diminished somewhat in general. He gets his assists but seems less dynamic and not as skillful with the puck or as good at driving the play offensively.

 

[Montreal Shadow]

The team he plays for.

 

[Roo]

While it doesn’t speak to other postseason performances, he’s clearly not fully healed from his high ankle sprain. Anyone that has had a severe one knows how long it takes to get to 100%. The guy just isn’t skating like he can out there and I don’t doubt that’s the reason.

That aside, it just seems he hasn’t adapted his game to playoff hockey. He’s had some good performances in the past, but hasn’t really put this together.

 

[Kerberos]

He spends too much time playing pretend referee and is incapable of adapting when time and space is taken away.

 

[Score8]

Isn’t he coming off high ankle sprain?

 

[Jaska]

He just isn't very good when the games are important.

 

[dirtydanglez]

he's just a soft player on a soft team.

 

[dukeofjive]

100% sure that he is injured for this year playoffs.

 

[DitchMarner]

he's just a soft player on a soft team.

The Leafs aren't a soft team.

Mentally and/or psychologically, maybe they are. But physically, they really aren't.

NHL Team Hits Per Game 2023-2024 | StatMuse

The Montreal Canadiens averaged 22.22 hits per game this season.

www.statmuse.com

Their best players can be thrown off their games when the physicality ramps up, though.

 

[TMLegend]

Even prior to his high ankle sprain he hasn't looked right for most of the season. Noticably slower and less explosive, whether it's just an off year for him or a sign of physical decline coming up it's something to monitor for future seasons. It's a concern going forward either way.

He's soft as butter too, but that's less of a concern. He's not a very physically gifted player.

 

[Montreal Shadow]

The Leafs aren't a soft team.

Mentally and/or psychologically, maybe they are. Bot physically, they really aren't.

NHL Team Hits Per Game 2023-2024 | StatMuse

The Montreal Canadiens averaged 22.22 hits per game this season.

www.statmuse.com

Their best players can be thrown off their games when the physicality ramps up, though.

Throwing hits isn’t a measure of a soft or tough team at all.

 

[Roo]

Even prior to his high ankle sprain he hasn't looked right for most of the season. Noticably slower and less explosive, whether it's just an off year for him or a sign of physical decline coming up it's something to monitor for future seasons. It's a concern going forward either way.

He's soft as butter too, but that's less of a concern. He's not a very physically gifted player.

I think there is a big difference in his play, post injury. Part of it is that he also needs to adapt to playing with Tavares now, which he hasn’t all season.

 

[DitchMarner]

Throwing hits isn’t a measure of a soft or tough team at all.

The point is that their softness is mostly between the ears. That's a problem with Mitch personally as well.

They tighten/tense up. They don't bear down. They seem to lack a killer instinct.

 

[OldCraig71]

When will people get sick of making excuses for a bunch of highly paid underperforming players? Marner and Matthews are 26 years old with over 500 games played. They aren't clutch players when the team needs them to be.

 

[dirtydanglez]

The Leafs aren't a soft team.

Mentally and/or psychologically, maybe they are. But physically, they really aren't.

NHL Team Hits Per Game 2023-2024 | StatMuse

The Montreal Canadiens averaged 22.22 hits per game this season.

www.statmuse.com

Their best players can be thrown off their games when the physicality ramps up, though.

i dont put too much weight on hits since they are tracked by the home team and it might be more a reflection of playing without the puck. when you look just away games the leafs drop down from 2nd to 10th so they are likely getting some help from the stat trackers. still thats better than i would have originally thought for the leafs. the stats i would be more interesting in seeing, not even sure if its tracked, are the number of board battles and percent of board battles won.

 

[waitin425]

Far less time and space in the playoffs combined with being very weak mentally equals him becoming completely overwhelmed in the playoffs.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

How may guys of his ilk are post-season dynamos? He's a smaller, finesse winger. That results in him being a target and it shows.

 

[Mickey Marner]

Failure to make adjustments and settles for perimeter play. Recently can back from a high ankle sprain and his skating doesn’t seem like it’s 100% as well. A perimeter player with hindered skating isn’t very effective.

 

[DitchMarner]

i dont put too much weight on hits since they are tracked by the home team and it might be more a reflection of playing without the puck. when you look just away games the leafs drop down from 2nd to 10th so they are likely getting some help from the stat trackers. still thats better than i would have originally thought for the leafs. the stats i would be more interesting in seeing, not even sure if its tracked, are the number of board battles and percent of board battles won.

Yeah, I'd be interesting in seeing those numbers as well.

Anyway, I'm not trying to suggest the Leafs are some badass team. I know what their reputation is and they have a lot of work to do to change it.

I'm just saying that they aren't a team of midgets who constantly get bullied and pushed around physically.

They have guys who are willing to get physical.

The areas they're really lacking in are areas like poise and mental toughness. There are many instances where they get an opportunity they would score easily on in the regular season but squander in the playoffs. If you look at advanced stats over the years for the playoffs, they seem to routinely perform below expectations when it comes to converting on scoring chances. That's not just because of bad luck.

 

[Super Hans]

 

[dirtydanglez]

Yeah, I'd be interesting in seeing those numbers as well.

Anyway, I'm not trying to suggest the Leafs are some badass team. I know what their reputation is and they have a lot of work to do to change it.

I'm just saying that they aren't a team of midgets who constantly get bullied and pushed around physically.

They have guys who are willing to get physical.

The areas they're really lacking in are areas like poise and mental toughness. There are many instances where they get an opportunity they would score easily on in the regular season but squander in the playoffs. If you look at advanced stats over the years for the playoffs, they seem to routinely perform below expectations when it comes to converting on scoring chances. That's not just because of bad luck.

i think what you are seeing now is the end result of dubas valuing skill above all else. they could really use more players like hyman, kadri, and marchment

 

[RussianRacket]

He's just a soft player not much else to say.

Him and Matthews both.

Sometimes a core of players just doesn't work out.

 

[frederixx]

His body just isn't made for playoffs.

https://www.reddit.com/r/leafs/s/jI3jOxlk3q

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

He plays like a scrubby Mitch. Puck flub Mitch. If you say it fast it sounds like..

Feel bad if he’s hurt, but he’s generally pretty bad in the playoffs, like, always. At least he hasn’t flipped any over the glass, yet.