Tribute Marner Appreciation Thread

[WillyC]

It’s such a beautiful thing to see Mitch play… that pass to Tavares was pure playoff hockey.

Absolutely unreal how Mitch played that sequence.

IMO, we see Mitch Marner at his best ever come this year’s playoffs.

 

[Ashdown2]

he sucks in OT but otherwise hes awesome .....

i cant wait for the beginning of next season when he sucks again for the first handful of games and we have to listen to every nutjob think hes the worst player in the league.

 

[Stephen]

Some interesting observations on Leafs chatter in the podcast and radio this week. Forget who said it but Mitch Marner seems to be a guy who thrives in a certain kind of chaotic traffic where he can weave in and out and make a nifty play such as the one to Tavares in New Jersey and the assist in Carolina. Where he is less effective and struggles at times is in complete open ice, where he gets a little complicated where he could just make a straight line, simple play.

 

[Stephen]

It’s such a beautiful thing to see Mitch play… that pass to Tavares was pure playoff hockey.

Absolutely unreal how Mitch played that sequence.

IMO, we see Mitch Marner at his best ever come this year’s playoffs.

Marner usually seems to be at his worst in October or at the start of a season and that November-April stretch is where he ramps it up.

 

[Puckstuff]

Does anyone notice that everyone plays better with Marner then they do with anyone else, including Matthews? He just makes everyone around him better, as seen with Bunting in 2021, Matthews in 2021 and Tavares in 2019.

 

[mapleleaf979]

Marner is the best winger Ive seen on the Leafs squad over the last 35 yrs. Mogilny is the only guy close but Mogilny would not show up every game. He will go down as one of the best Leaf wingers/players of all time and have his jersey retired. I dont not get any of the blind hate toward him or using him as a scapegoat.

 

[Notsince67]

Unfortunately it's Matthews who is the issue right now. Until he gets going it will be hard for the line to accomplish much.

I said awhile back that Nylander needs strong shoulders to carry Matthews the way he has been playing as of late.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I'm not worried about Matthews in the slightest. How can this fanbase say they don't care what happens until the post season and then critique how an individual player is doing 20 games in? He's still ppg. If he finishes the season back at his normal totals the worrying will have been for what? Save yourself the stress.

It's weird to me also that so many people say that playoffs are what matters, and at the same time they're complaining about Matthews while raving about Marner. Me I still feel the same - the players both individually, and as a team, get graded maybe 95% or so on how they play in the playoffs and 5% on the regular season. 1st team all-star, Hart trophy, best November ever, it all means very little to me when compared to our playoff failures. I'm also a bit baffled by how much some people are raving about Marner right now. Yes he's playing well no question about that, but it's November FFS and stacked up against how many times he's disappointed me in the playoffs, it really doesn't mean much at all, not to me anyway. Maybe some people are still on a high from the teams record breaking November a year ago but I didn't GAF then and I don't GAF now.

Marner was mediocre for 3 playoffs in a row before finally playing well last season, that's what really matters to me so I won't be one of those people raving about how he's a stud, elite or whatever else. I'm waiting to see how he does next spring and how he's playing in November barely registers as far as I'm concerned.

 

[studebaker17]

Some interesting observations on Leafs chatter in the podcast and radio this week. Forget who said it but Mitch Marner seems to be a guy who thrives in a certain kind of chaotic traffic where he can weave in and out and make a nifty play such as the one to Tavares in New Jersey and the assist in Carolina. Where he is less effective and struggles at times is in complete open ice, where he gets a little complicated where he could just make a straight line, simple play.

He thrives on hounding pucks , coming up with turnovers , breaking down defenses , drawing players out of position and finding the open man . He's also almost subliminal in anticipation of where the pucks going combined with great hand eye coordination knocks pucks down on the regular . That's the key thing with him on the pk . Not very many players have that ability or hockey sense.

Open ice though seems like he pushes to hard to make something happen . On the PP if he's not drawing defenders out of position he's just a regular guy out there . The key to Mitch is he's great at creating disorder but on the PP that needs to be a team set play designed around it.

3 on 3 is even worse . He tries to hard to make something happen.

I alway's found it funny the critisism he gets how he's a perimter player ect . he thrives in traffic.

 

[BTP]

Best forward in the east right now for my money. Elite defensively and offensively. And arguably the best passer in the league. Top 3-5 for sure

 

[ULF_55]

Leafs top players are in their prime.

Time to carry it over to the playoffs.

marner and Matthews have to elevate their games in the playoffs.

marner's pretty consistent, and at his price point he has to be a top 10 player to earn that money.

 

[Zybalto]

Leafs top players are in their prime.

Time to carry it over to the playoffs.

marner and Matthews have to elevate their games in the playoffs.

marner's pretty consistent, and at his price point he has to be a top 10 player to earn that money.

It's all about goaltending really.

I remember running the numbers and, in elimination games, the Leafs have basically scored as many goals as Tampa and the Leafs stars actually have more points than Tampas the previous 3 seasons but Tampa has won most of theirs while Toronto has lost them.

If Toronto had a Vasy/Shesterkin type goalie, we might be already talking about cups as well with our goalies getting those 1-0 and 2-1 wins that Tampa lived off of and not ranting about other players. Could one of Murray/Samsonov be our clutch goalie this year? Toronto outshoots opponents an average of 37-29 in those games. Need someone to step up in net. Just stay healthy and get good goaltending in big games.

 

[ULF_55]

I'm surprised they haven't tried Davey marner at center?

Kelly went from defense to center, and wing to center is a smaller adjustment.

 

[Gary Nylund]

It's all about goaltending really.

I remember running the numbers and, in elimination games, the Leafs have basically scored as many goals as Tampa and the Leafs stars actually have more points than Tampas the previous 3 seasons but Tampa has won most of theirs while Toronto has lost them.

If Toronto had a Vasy/Shesterkin type goalie, we might be already talking about cups as well with our goalies getting those 1-0 and 2-1 wins that Tampa lived off of and not ranting about other players. Could one of Murray/Samsonov be our clutch goalie this year? Toronto outshoots opponents an average of 37-29 in those games. Need someone to step up in net. Just stay healthy and get good goaltending in big games.

Not really. Getting outscored 19-2 in the most important 10 periods of hockey in game 7's over a four year span, is far too much of a disaster to blame it nothing more than a goaltending issue.

Leafs top players are in their prime.

Time to carry it over to the playoffs.

marner and Matthews have to elevate their games in the playoffs.

marner's pretty consistent, and at his price point he has to be a top 10 player to earn that money.

Yup.

 

[MAB1]

I agree with goaltending in game 7's also being their arch-nemesis but at the end of the day, I think it boils down to Marner and Matthews realizing in a playoff series that there is not a single player on the other team that's worse than them. McDavid plays in the West, there is no center better than Matthews in the East, he needs to act like it in the playoffs. Ditto for Marner, there's not a single winger in the NHL that I would say is head and shoulders above Marner. He needs to act like it in the playoffs.

You have a different energy when you know you're the best player on the ice for either team. In the regular season M&M play like it, in the playoffs they still need to carry over that regular season magic.

 

[Zybalto]

Not really. Getting outscored 19-2 in the most important 10 periods of hockey in game 7's over a four year span, is far too much of a disaster to blame it nothing more than a goaltending issue.

While the Leafs could have avoided them just by winning other elimination games (not just game 7s), the turning point in the majority of the tight checking game 7s have been super soft goals given up by our goaltenders.....goals so weak that actual playoff goalies havnt given them up in big games (at least I dont remember them), let alone multiple times. Vasy winning the last 3 series for the 2020 cup going 2-0, 1-0. 1-0. Now thats a playoff MVP goalie and no one is going to say Tampa "didnt show up" despite the fact they couldnt generate offense.

Flip the goalies and we win the series. Can you really deny that reality the last few years? It's not just the fact the Leafs goalies choke hard, it's also the fact the other goalies make big saves. It's not just hard but damn near impossible for a team to overcome that. No level of coaching or hard work beats that. You can cave in the other team and they only need to fling a weak shot at the net to get the momentum and the win. Playoff Vasy/Price and record setting Korpisalo had the mojo while our goalies didnt. It's the most important position in those games. Outshoot them 37-29 and goalies go .950 to .880? Doesnt take a rocket scientist to see where the issue lies.

Hopefully we have a guy now that can actually be a playoff goalie. He's done it before and he would be the first one this version of the team has ever had.

 

[Mess]

I'm surprised they haven't tried Davey marner at center?

Kelly went from defense to center, and wing to center is a smaller adjustment.

While I agree a good center generally drives a lines offense.

Leafs already have 2 X $11 mil centres and Leafs management's must believe Marner needs an elite #1 C to help drive a lines offense and prop up Marner's playmaking abilities.

I have suggested Leafs should have 1 X $11 mil player on their own lines, building a strong top 9 and balancing the Cap, but then it would likely be Nylander that would be the 3rd centre.

 

[Primary Assist]

He looked like vintage Jagr on that apple vs the Devils. Drew two back checkers into the corner with him, caught the third puck watching, and still managed to use his stick and leverage to win the puck battle and go tape to tape in the slot. Such a beauty playmaker

 

[Gary Nylund]

While the Leafs could have avoided them just by winning other elimination games (not just game 7s), the turning point in the majority of the tight checking game 7s have been super soft goals given up by our goaltenders.....goals so weak that actual playoff goalies havnt given them up in big games (at least I dont remember them), let alone multiple times. Vasy winning the last 3 series for the 2020 cup going 2-0, 1-0. 1-0. Now thats a playoff MVP goalie and no one is going to say Tampa "didnt show up" despite the fact they couldnt generate offense.

Flip the goalies and we win the series. Can you really deny that reality the last few years? It's not just the fact the Leafs goalies choke hard, it's also the fact the other goalies make big saves. It's not just hard but damn near impossible for a team to overcome that. No level of coaching or hard work beats that. You can cave in the other team and they only need to fling a weak shot at the net to get the momentum and the win. Playoff Vasy/Price and record setting Korpisalo had the mojo while our goalies didnt. It's the most important position in those games. Outshoot them 37-29 and goalies go .950 to .880? Doesnt take a rocket scientist to see where the issue lies.

Hopefully we have a guy now that can actually be a playoff goalie. He's done it before and he would be the first one this version of the team has ever had.

19-2 over 10 periods. I'm confident in saying that it takes a team effort to play that poorly. Or are you going to say that it's the goalies fault that we only scored 2 goals in the most important 10 periods over those 4 years?

Vasi is a great goalie, no argument from me there. As far as Korpisalo goes though, our goaltending was very good in those playoffs overall and we made the CLB goalies look good by shooting the puck into their stomach or missing the empty net etc.

Agree to disagree.

 

[studebaker17]

While I agree a good center generally drives a lines offense.

Leafs already have 2 X $11 mil centres and Leafs management's must believe Marner needs an elite #1 C to help drive a lines offense and prop up Marner's playmaking abilities.

I have suggested Leafs should have 1 X $11 mil player on their own lines, building a strong top 9 and balancing the Cap, but then it would likely be Nylander that would be the 3rd centre.

Pretty ridiculous comment . Think what you meant to say is the Leafs coaches must feel their 11 million dollar centres need to be propped up by an 11 million winger because that's pretty much how it is.
Aside from that the whole notion of having 3 elite lines or centres is pretty tough to distribute enough ice time to make them all effective . Seems kind of a waste to me . Was a reason Kadri was not putting up stellar numbers and being as effective as he could of been .

 

[DarkKnight]

 

[keonsbitterness]

So Babe Dye was the original Eraserhead.

 

[Jojalu]

It's weird to me also that so many people say that playoffs are what matters, and at the same time they're complaining about Matthews while raving about Marner. Me I still feel the same - the players both individually, and as a team, get graded maybe 95% or so on how they play in the playoffs and 5% on the regular season. 1st team all-star, Hart trophy, best November ever, it all means very little to me when compared to our playoff failures. I'm also a bit baffled by how much some people are raving about Marner right now. Yes he's playing well no question about that, but it's November FFS and stacked up against how many times he's disappointed me in the playoffs, it really doesn't mean much at all, not to me anyway. Maybe some people are still on a high from the teams record breaking November a year ago but I didn't GAF then and I don't GAF now.

Marner was mediocre for 3 playoffs in a row before finally playing well last season, that's what really matters to me so I won't be one of those people raving about how he's a stud, elite or whatever else. I'm waiting to see how he does next spring and how he's playing in November barely registers as far as I'm concerned.

For me if they didn't play well during the season they probably wouldn't make the playoffs so I am happy when they find success.

Now if they could only find it in the playoffs

 

[Teeder Keon]

I played on a line with Babe

 

[francis246]

He’s finally becoming the man we have been waiting for this season!!