Mitch “Magic” Marner Thread

[Wafflewhipper]

Marner & Nylander have 100 career goal in 348 and 350 games respectively. Nylander should be out scoring him for goals at this point with that shot but hasn’t. I don’t know why.

Always knew Marner would out produce points against many goal scorers in his peer range because of how he passes. Now he is looking like 30 goals per season moving forward is not out of the question.

He is in the conversation as to who is the best player in his draft year after McDavid. It will be interesting how much he can improve his goal scoring/shot over the rest of his career and how he will look in terms of goals scored among his peer group.

Kind of thinking he will finish as the second best player in his draft year when all is said and done. He’s still growing his game like most his age if you can buy that thinking. I think he is not at his peak yet still.

 

[Dekes For Days]

And more PP goals.

It's almost like there's more to the quality of a player than how many PP goals they score.

 

[Stephen]

I had the exact same conversation with an Avs fan about a week ago and he also ignored the fact that Marner plays PK, one of the best at takeaways and can actually play defense, which alone makes him much more valuable. All this while better 5 on 5 and producing more points.

That 1.5M more actually looks pretty friendly when you consider the above, but being an Avs fan or a Dubas hater simply forces you to ignore these facts.

For the money saved you could afford to pay a better player in a bottom six role to PK for you. It’s all a wash.

 

[Stephen]

A better analogy is that you paid an extra $50 for a PS5 that can play PS2 games and has more storage, and then two years later you are still complaining that your friend paid less for a lesser version.

Well, the idea that Rantanen is an inferior player to Marner doesn’t hold water so no that doesn’t work.

 

[Nooodles]

For the money saved you could afford to pay a better player in a bottom six role to PK for you. It’s all a wash.

Yeah you just managed to point out the biggest problem of most of the teams around the league: Overpaid 3rd and 4th line players. The league is full of it, yet no one really talks about it.

Which one hurts you the most? Paying your young star player 1.5M more than you should, or paying your useless 3rd line player 2.5M instead of 1? There are teams who are loaded with these terrible contracts yet nobody even recognizes it, because those players are no ones, not Mitch Marners, and not Toronto.

So pardon me but I dont really care about that misterious 3rd liner who could solve the PK, when we have our elite star forward who can do everything. The same kind of player Leafs fans were whining about for more than a decade when they were watching Toews, Marchand etc do it all.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Rantanen isn’t a generation behind Marner.

He's a lesser version. Just like the Playstation 4 is a powerful machine, and a great gaming system, Rantanen is a great player. But just like the Playstation 5 is better than the Playstation 4, Marner is better than Rantanen, and brings more to the table. Just like he did at time of signing. My analogy works way better than yours.

And in the end, this story is only about 50% Marner and Rantanen. The other 50% of the story is the price at which Sakic and Dubas were able to secure it their services and why Colorado appears to have more cap flexibility and prime aged depth.

Colorado has less flexibility than you seem to think, and any cap flexibility they have had is not because of Rantanen signing for 9.25m. That signing is no better value than Marner. Colorado has had cap flexibility because they signed their best player a half-decade ago under a lower cap when he was nothing close to what he is now, and because they have their #1 defenseman on an ELC.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

For the money saved you could afford to pay a better player in a bottom six role to PK for you. It’s all a wash.

Well they did do that in getting Nash for instance. I’m not sure that contention adds up to much. Does it... maybe but I don’t really catch it.

Having the ability to put a top threat out on the ice last 15-20 seconds of a penalty kill without any worries is a advantage. The opponents top unit could be out there a long time at the end and you can transition the puck and if you catch them tired it’s worth something of value no....

Penalty killing can not be devalued and dismissed with a flick of the hand and ignored as nothing.

 

[Stephen]

Well they did do that too getting Nash for instance. I’m not sure that contention adds up to much. Does it... maybe but I don’t really catch it.

Having the ability to put a top threat out on the ice last 15-20 seconds of a penalty kill without any worries is a advantage. The opponents top unit could be out there a long time at the end and you can transition the puck and if you catch them tired it’s worth something of value no....

Penalty killing can not be devalued and dismissed with a flick of the hand and ignored as nothing.

Well, with a cap team like Toronto the money is going to be spent, so the benefit to saving cap dollars on Marner just means you could have spent that $1.5 million on something else.

 

[Dekes For Days]

he and Matthews really stick out in the top scorers for their lack of PP points.

Similar to how they stick out in the top scorers for their lack of PP time. Gee, what a crazy coincidence!

 

[IPS]

Marner is second in the league 5 v 5 points, he and Matthews really stick out in the top scorers for their lack of PP points. I can only imagine their numbers with a better PP.

Here’s a stat, Marner is 4th in the league even strength goals.

Being a Marner “fan boy” is the best gig going lol.

If we're being honest here they need to do a better job converting on the PP this season.

 

[DarkKnight]

If we're being honest here they need to do a better job converting on the PP this season.

Sure but that doesn’t distract from the amazing 5 v 5 numbers.

 

[therealkoho]

SELKE?

The case for Mitch Marner (with a vote from Doug Gilmour) to join Auston Matthews on NHL awards night

Auston Matthews is on target to win the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL’s top goal scorer, but he’s not the only Maple Leaf with a shot at one of the league’s top individual awards.

Mitch Marner’s two-way play, often overshadowed by his elite offence, has him in the conversation for the Selke Trophy, awarded annually to a forward who excels in the defensive aspects of the game.
Marner has improved steadily over the past two seasons and now ranks as one of the more difficult NHL forwards to play against, despite being the smallest among the Leafs’ top six at 175 pounds.
Data provided by Sportlogiq shows that Marner has been among the league leaders when it comes to using his stick and positioning to defuse opposition rushes.

Among forwards with at least 300 minutes played this season, Marner ranks third in blocked passes per 20 minutes of ice time (4.51 per game) and 12th in stick checks per 20 (1.35). He also averages 7.45 zone exits per game, which ranks sixth, and retrieves 14.8 pucks on average, good for 25th league-wide.

The commitment to defensive play has taken nothing away from his stellar production, by any measure.

Marner ranks 11th overall in goals per game (0.35, slightly higher than his expected rate), and has been operating near a 100-point pace this year and last. He’s also second only to Matthews in scoring contributions to Leaf wins: 14 goals and 34 assists in 31 victories through Wednesday (three goals and nine assists in 18 losses).

At the same time, he’s also among the league’s best in goals against (0.86) and inner-slot shots against (1.95) per 20 minutes of ice time.

“I think he’s been a very strong defensive player ever since he’s been in the league, and every league he’s played,” coach Sheldon Keefe said Thursday, before the Leafs hosted the Vancouver Canucks. “He’s a key member of our penalty kill … We rely on him in key points of the game to play against the other team’s best players, so he’s got a lot on his plate and he deals with it very well.”

Doug Gilmour (1992-93) is the only Leaf ever to have won the Selke, and Marner has never finished in the top 10 in voting by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. He placed 16th a year ago, when the Flyers’ Sean Couturier won for the first time. Marner’s improvement, however, is comparable to Couturier’s.

“It’s great to see him and what he’s doing on both sides of the puck,” Gilmour said in a phone interview. “(Marner) is a smart player. He knows where to be on the ice.”

From his days with the OHL’s London Knights until his arrival with the Leafs five years ago, Marner was often compared to Gilmour — who remembers how difficult it was to win the Selke after, like Marner, reaching the NHL with a reputation for offence.

 

[DarkKnight]

 

[Joey Hoser]

Doesn't really deserve to be in the conversation with guys like Bergeron and O'Rielly when it comes to defense, but since the Selke is largely about points for some reason, sure why not.

 

[DarkKnight]

Doesn't really deserve to be in the conversation with guys like Bergeron and O'Rielly when it comes to defense, but since the Selke is largely about points for some reason, sure why not.

Why must people be like that....

 

[therealkoho]

SELKE?

The case for Mitch Marner (with a vote from Doug Gilmour) to join Auston Matthews on NHL awards night

same article

 

[Notsince67]

For the money saved you could afford to pay a better player in a bottom six role to PK for you. It’s all a wash.

Nope. It isnt a wash. Marner is actually good at the Pk and it makes no sense having an extra roster spot for a pk position.

 

[WilyStyless03SHYla]

Truly the magician, what a season, take a bow lol

 

[Atomos2]

Anyone find it oddly similar how the ideal line for Marner on the Leafs this year matches the line he had on the Mem Cup winning London Knights season in playing style.
*relatively speaking of course in terms of their respective leagues

Hyman - Matthews - Marner

Tkachuk - Dvorak - Marner

Tkachuk like Hyman battled in front of the net, puck possession beast. Dvorak, who obviously isn't in the same realm as Matthews but, during that season led the OHL league in goals. I'm just looking for good luck omens.

Who knows but I just think that if Hyman - Matthews - Marner are a line, Marner will be in the ideal situation to dominate in the playoffs just like in the OHL.Although he could dominate either way we'll see.

 

[X66]

Who comes out of the line up when Nash and Hyman are healthy.

 

[WilyStyless03SHYla]

Selke is tough based on how the award has been given out in the past, however, Marner is no question one of the best defensive forwards in the league. Whether or not he fits the typical "Selke" narrative remains to be seen.

 

[crump]

Who comes out of the line up when Nash and Hyman are healthy.

Pick 2 of
Brooks
Thornton
Spezza
Kerfoot
Simmonds
Edit: also Galchenyuk

If your having trouble, Nash doesn’t go in.

 

[WilyStyless03SHYla]

Pick 2 of
Brooks
Thornton
Spezza
Kerfoot
Simmonds

If your having trouble, Nash doesn’t go in.

Honestly, whoever is feeling best, haven't been watching as much lately so don't really want to comment. I'd say just get through to the playoffs and give the young guys a chance, I'm sure the vets can get fired up for the playoffs without playing everyday.

 

[TheGreatOne11]

Pick 2 of
Brooks
Thornton
Spezza
Kerfoot
Simmonds
Edit: also Galchenyuk

If your having trouble, Nash doesn’t go in.

Thornton is having a bit of a resurgence right now, but unless he can stick that 4th line role and be a THORNton in the oppositions side i think his speed may be a liability in the playoffs and he sees his way sitting most games.

But i don't know obviously if that will happen lol, i can say I'm happy about having so much depth that this is even a question.

 

[Stephen]

Nope. It isnt a wash. Marner is actually good at the Pk and it makes no sense having an extra roster spot for a pk position.

Rantanen now has a 1.25 PPG to 1.24 vs Marner, so the difference is completely negligible offensively. At a $1.5 million savings you could do whatever you want with it to build a deeper roster, or hell even try Rantanen on the PK. Point is, you can love the player, but the price tag is still a premium.