Tribute Marner Appreciation Thread

[ULF_55]

He’s so disruptive defensively too, I’m not sure we’re fully appreciating it. I know it’s something I haven’t quite seen, not just takeaways, but deflecting passes, hounding the puck carrier, love it.

Top ten in scoring and this defensive mentality, rare Leaf air we’re witnessing.

Yep, joins Dougie and Davey and I think he could play center.

 

[TMLeafer]

Some of his little plays are incredible.

If he played on certain other teams people would be salivating about handing him the Selke. Amazing that two of our top guys are kind of in that company.

 

[notDatsyuk]

Seems like the kid has had a lot of 1st stars of the game this year. His consistency is off the charts. Had lots of setups that didnt convert. Wonder what Berkshire would say now about Meyer being a better player after Marners pk theft and goal. Probably that he is still an over rated playmaker . Can't blame a hab fan for that hot take.
Wondering if some of the leafs fan base still think Toronto would have to retain when they trade Marner.

Wash your mouth out with soap then go stand in the corner for even typing those words.

 

[Notsince67]

Wash your mouth out with soap then go stand in the corner for even typing those words.

Times are good now. One bad game and these people will come out of the woodwork. So far, I've only needed to block 2 Trolls and it is nice and quiet.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Some of his little plays are incredible.

If he played on certain other teams people would be salivating about handing him the Selke. Amazing that two of our top guys are kind of in that company.

I don't think the team matters, he's been a 1st team all-star after all and Matthews has won a bunch of awards as well so that doesn't really compute. Some have speculated that voters like giving it to centres instead of wingers, maybe there's something to that. It is a bit strange though, as I remember it, the award was basically (and unofficially) created because of Bob Gainey who played wing. Yes, centres do have the tougher defensive assignments so there is some logic behind favoring them but I think the voters take this concept too far. To be fair, defensive play is hard to measure but still, I feel like a lot of it based on reputation and the voters don't really know WTF they're doing - I really don't believe that the fact that a 36 year old Bergeron won in a landslide last season was based on merit.

Like you said, it's the little plays that are incredible. He's so much fun to watch, like a free clinic in stickwork.

The top 8 Selke vote getters last season played centre, Marner finished 16th. I'm not saying he should have won necessarily, but I'm pretty sure he should have gotten a lot more votes than he did.

Times are good now. One bad game and these people will come out of the woodwork. So far, I've only needed to block 2 Trolls and it is nice and quiet.

It was "nice and quiet" after the last game in which Marner and the entire team were less than impressive. Now that he had a good game, you're back trying to stir up shit. All too often you sound like you're walking around with your fists in the air, trying to start a fight. Why can't you just try to discuss things respectfully without constantly trying to raise the tension level?

 

[Gary Nylund]

Yep, joins Dougie and Davey and I think he could play center.

Yeah those are probably his best comparables, during my lifetime anyway. Dougie had that toughness/sandpaper as well which is maybe what made him even better and I don't expect Marner will ever reach the level of Gilmour's peak season when he almost won the Hart but nothing's impossible I guess.

 

[DueDiligence]

I would say that Marner has become the Leafs best all round player. Yes better than Matthews which is saying alot. I would put Marner top 5 in the league.

 

[Gary Nylund]

26 minutes tonight. Whoa.

Wow really? No wonder he was noticeable.

On one hand I'd say that's impressive. on the other hand, there have been some concerns that the reason his production hasn't always been there in the playoffs is that Keefe burnt him out a bit by playing him too much during the season. Not a concern today, and I have no problem with Keefe giving him the minutes last night but something to watch down the stretch when I think we should be monitoring Marner's minutes carefully. It's interesting though, I don't really track minutes but I'm wondering - in a game with no OT, has he ever played that much? Maybe it was sort of a test, to see if he can handle that many minutes and if he can, plan on seeing that more often in the playoffs? If that's the plan, then I approve. I sure hope that's the thinking, I do wonder about Keefe at times.

Marner is definitely edging out Nylander as MVP at this stage. Just on most nights and piles on the points. Engine that runs.

Yeah Marner's leading that race for sure, Nylander not too far behind in second. Kind of sad that Matthews is clearly not in the running for the top two spots, not even sure if he's 3rd.

He’s so disruptive defensively too, I’m not sure we’re fully appreciating it. I know it’s something I haven’t quite seen, not just takeaways, but deflecting passes, hounding the puck carrier, love it.

Top ten in scoring and this defensive mentality, rare Leaf air we’re witnessing.

I know I appreciate it but yeah you have to watch him closely to truly appreciate all the little things he does.

 

[therealkoho]

I've started at least one "appreciation" thread in the past, but I now believe that appreciation threads are not a good idea. The reason is that no matter what the topic is, threads do drift off topic every now and then. I believe that this is completely normal, that's the way human discussions tend to go and after all, we're all human. Sometimes we get side tracked, go off on a tangent for a while but then eventually someone says OK guys, let's get back on topic and then we do. But the Marner appreciation thread has gone completley insane and you aren't allowed to bring up anything that might even remotely suggest that Marner is anything less than a demi-god and the smartest player that has ever played the game and if you have the temerity to do so, you are beaten over the head with "you must be stupid to not understand that this is an appreciation thread".

So that's my motivation, there is no other active Marner thread right now and there should be a safe place where people that want to discuss Marner objectively, can do so without the appreciation police making discussion impossible. Since he's such an amazing player, I'm sure the posts will be 99% positive anyway and the 1% that is negative will still probably incur the wrath of some of the biggest fanboys but at least they won't have the "don't you understand that this is an appreciation thread" stick to beat them over the head with.

My personal opinion on Marner is that he's an amazing player. The only negative thing I can ever remember saying about him is that in a few playoffs there, his play was below the standard set by him in the regular season. That's a pretty big criticism actually because playoffs to me anyway are so important and it was multiple years but other than that, it's all positives. He was also very good in last year's playoffs, he's been fantastic since the beginning of last season and hell he's a young player still improving so it's not really a surprise that he's better today than he was two years ago. The only weak spot in his game was his shot and out of the blue, that became almost sniper quality at some point last season so he's now a complete player with no weaknesses that I can see. He's now cracked the top 10 in the scoring race, he leads the league in takeaways, he's a penalty killing machine and while saying he's the smartest player ever is hyperbole, he's definitely right up there with the best of them when it comes to hockey sense, vision etc. I say Marner is if not top 5, then at least a top 10 forward in the league, he deserves the tag "franchise player" and while I used to think that Matthews is our best player (and he did win the Hart last season), going forward if I had to choose between the two I probably choose Marner.

Some people have said he'll win an Art-Ross one day. That's unlikely IMO, his career overlaps too much with McDavid for starters. But I don't really care either, I just want to see the team win in the playoffs and if we do manage to win the cup with this core, Marner is as likely as anyone else to walk away with the Conn Smythe trophy and even if he doesn't, I know he'll be a big part of bringing the cup back to where it belongs.

On top of all that, his style of play makes him entertaining as hell to watch. My favorite thing to watch is when he kills penalties, he's like a genius on skates. But the rest of his game is awesome too of course, I mean who doesn't enjoy watching some of the passes he makes.

Another thing not talked about much is his durability. There was concern when he was drafted that he was so small, could his body hold up to the NHL game etc. but so far, that hasn't even been an issue which is obviously a huge positive!

I hope Mitch will settle for something less than top dollar on his next contract, hopefully he's man enough now to tell his dad to butt out of the negotiations if that's what it takes (apparently his dad is part of why his last contract was an overpayment). But to be clear, that's not his fault, you can't blame anyone for getting all the money they can get and if anyone's to blame for paying too much, then it's the GM. But yeah what I am hoping for is Mitch signing for ideally a small discount and if not, then at least something less than top dollar and hopefully he's a Maple Leaf for life and helps win at least one cup during his career here.

Mitch Marner is a helluva hockey player. As Don Cherry would say, kids a beauty!

Agreed with almost all of what is written here, it's a great post and if i may say one that is very well written, bravo my friend.

As far as Mitchs last contract, and I've said this before, I do believe his contract is a direct result of Matthews contract. Matthews Sr. was no less involved than was Paul Marner when it came to their sons respective contracts. At the time of signing only Mitch had led the team in scoring and yet the Matthew's clan demanded that Auston be paid highest on the team. I've said before that he is a "name on the back" kind of guy, while I make no judgement on whether it's neither good or bad its just what it is, as long as he'll do everything to win while he's here, I'm good with it.

Mitch is a guy whom I'd love to see win a Conny along with a cup even in separate seasons if that's what it takes . I do believe he'll be a Leaf for life and may one day wear the C.

I recall all those "who's better" threads, Willie or Mitch, and I always said the real question is who's better Mitch or Auston? All the kids laughed and laughed and said you're krazy koho always being the contrarian, and I wonder what the answer is these days.

Cheers

GLG

 

[therealkoho]

Sometimes I wonder why Marner doesn't put up more offence. His hockey vision is second to nobody playing today, same goes for his passing ability, now he's added a great shot to his game, he plays on the #1PP, he's not only had great linemates to play with but there's also always pretty much been two top lines so the opponents can't focus just on him so ... how is it that he doesn't put up more offence?

Marner in the scoring race last 5 years including this one:
18-19 - 11th
18-20 - 18th (tied)
20-21 - 4th
21-22 - 10th
22-23 - 12th

Before anyone jumps on me, I don't care much about how many points he gets, I just want him to play his best hockey for us in the playoffs. So this isn't in any way a criticism of Marner, more of a curiosity. Does he just play that much better defence than all the guys ahead of him or what?

The points thing I'd say is directly attributable to having to depend on others for him to get points. Think of all the points lost, points that clanged off the post or crossbar, ended up as a 10 bell save or hit the goalies crest, backboards, glass or a defenders shinpads, or just a whiff, after a unbelievable set up pass to an open teammate.

Just hyperbole but how many points have been lost to the described manner each year, 10, 20, 30+? Maybe that figure has hit 40+ even who knows.

 

[therealkoho]

View attachment 661321

He was looking real good until he swung

 

[therealkoho]

Not a problem in Marner's case as he doesn't have to worry about finding work ever. But yeah it is what it is, though I have to say that Marner's a pretty extreme case, most hockey players seem like they're a lot better equipped to deal with "normal life" then he is.


I think Marner got one 3rd place vote one year, not sure if it was last season or not.

Not really sure about this, there's even some ex players, and we see it all the time, that can barely write coherent English unless of course it's some kind of weird affectation

 

[Gary Nylund]

Agreed with almost all of what is written here, it's a great post and if i may say one that is very well written, bravo my friend.

As far as Mitchs last contract, and I've said this before, I do believe his contract is a direct result of Matthews contract. Matthews Sr. was no less involved than was Paul Marner when it came to their sons respective contracts. At the time of signing only Mitch had led the team in scoring and yet the Matthew's clan demanded that Auston be paid highest on the team. I've said before that he is a "name on the back" kind of guy, while I make no judgement on whether it's neither good or bad its just what it is, as long as he'll do everything to win while he's here, I'm good with it.
Mitch is a guy whom I'd love to see win a Conny along with a cup even in separate seasons if that's what it takes . I do believe he'll be a Leaf for life and may one day wear the C.

I recall all those "who's better" threads, Willie or Mitch, and I always said the real question is who's better Mitch or Auston? All the kids laughed and laughed and said you're krazy koho always being the contrarian, and I wonder what the answer is these days.

Cheers

GLG

Thank you!

Haven't heard about Matthews' dad, that's interesting. Anyhow, water under the bridge and new contract negotiations soon which I don't even want to think about TBH cause it's scary to think about.

The Conn Smythe, yeah I think we'd all prefer Mitch winning that one as compared to the others. And I do think there's a pretty good chance that you*re right, he'll be a Leaf for life (I mean if not him, then who?) and also be our next captain.

I'm generally not a fan of the "who's better" threads but you were absolutely right about "the real question" although Matthews taking a step back, and Nylander taking a step forward this season has muddied the waters on that score. I guess we're lucky to have them all though TBH, as long as we're setting records for playoff failures it's hard to feel lucky about anything. Wouldn't it be nice if that all changed this spring, we win the cup, no more talk about how Dubas doesn't know how to build a team or about how you can't win with 4 players taking this much cap space yada yada yada. You never know, this could be the year. Hanta Yo!

The points thing I'd say is directly attributable to having to depend on others for him to get points. Think of all the points lost, points that clanged off the post or crossbar, ended up as a 10 bell save or hit the goalies crest, backboards, glass or a defenders shinpads, or just a whiff, after a unbelievable set up pass to an open teammate.

Just hyperbole but how many points have been lost to the described manner each year, 10, 20, 30+? Maybe that figure has hit 40+ even who knows.

Not sure I buy that. Every player misses the net, fans on shots, hits posts etc. and when he's played with Matthews as much as he has and the other talent we have on the team, it's hard to argue that he hasn't had quality players to finish for him. I don't care that much about points anyway, I mean sure it would be cool if he won the scoring title but top 10 in scoring combined with everything else he brings, can't complain about that. Not everyone can be McDavid and other than him, he's not that far behind anyone else. I've said that IMO he's a top 10 forward and I would say that the gap between McDavid and whoever's number 2 is bigger than the cap between #2 and #10 so yeah, he's a helluva hockey player.

Anyhow, playoffs are what really matters, even his biggest fan said that Keefe has played too much before the playoffs so that might have had an impact but whatever, the past is the past, Marner was great in the last playoffs and he's playing the best hockey of his career over the last two seasons so let's hope he's able to play even better in these playoffs!

 

[MJ65]

He is exceptional with so much of talent - he definitely is one of the top players in the league, and he is not far behind with any of the leading players except McDavid

 

[Yall are crazy]

Yep, joins Dougie and Davey and I think he could play center.

Funcfact: he played center for the London knovhts his last year when he led him to the memorial cup as mvp

 

[Yall are crazy]

I don't think the team matters, he's been a 1st team all-star after all and Matthews has won a bunch of awards as well so that doesn't really compute. Some have speculated that voters like giving it to centres instead of wingers, maybe there's something to that. It is a bit strange though, as I remember it, the award was basically (and unofficially) created because of Bob Gainey who played wing. Yes, centres do have the tougher defensive assignments so there is some logic behind favoring them but I think the voters take this concept too far. To be fair, defensive play is hard to measure but still, I feel like a lot of it based on reputation and the voters don't really know WTF they're doing - I really don't believe that the fact that a 36 year old Bergeron won in a landslide last season was based on merit.

Like you said, it's the little plays that are incredible. He's so much fun to watch, like a free clinic in stickwork.

The top 8 Selke vote getters last season played centre, Marner finished 16th. I'm not saying he should have won necessarily, but I'm pretty sure he should have gotten a lot more votes than he did.


It was "nice and quiet" after the last game in which Marner and the entire team were less than impressive. Now that he had a good game, you're back trying to stir up shit. All too often you sound like you're walking around with your fists in the air, trying to start a fight. Why can't you just try to discuss things respectfully without constantly trying to raise the tension level?

The league has always valued scorers and centers over wingers bc backhand wingers were only giving the puck to the centers to shoot. This day and wage, wingerscan usually shoot and playmaker while centers usually are still waiting for the playmaker to open the scoring chance for them. Certain wingers in the league are way more important than centers. 2 way plays are becoming more common. I truly believe kane and marner are furthering the agenda to the league that wingers are becoming just as important if nit more important(SOME) than centers/scorers who benefit from someone else's hardworking

 

[ACC1224]

Funcfact: he played center for the London knovhts his last year when he led him to the memorial cup as mvp

While he can and has played center, he played mostly wing with Dvorak during his last year in London.

 

[notdoneyet]

Mitch is the straw that stirs the drink.
He does it all.

 

[Sypher04]

I would say that Marner has become the Leafs best all round player. Yes better than Matthews which is saying alot. I would put Marner top 5 in the league.

I’m still of the opinion when both are on their game separating them offensively or defensively is splitting hairs. Some will prefer Mitch, some Auston - with nobody really being wrong. Truly remarkable players. I want to see them win so badly

 

[Phion Keneuf]

Best defensive winger in the league

 

[Notsince67]

Best defensive winger in the league

Marner leads the league in takeaways. Matthews lead forwards in shots blocked. What a duo we have.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I’m still of the opinion when both are on their game separating them offensively or defensively is splitting hairs. Some will prefer Mitch, some Auston - with nobody really being wrong. Truly remarkable players. I want to see them win so badly

This x 1000. And I don't mean regular season either. If we don't beat TB, I just might lose my mind.

 

[DarkKnight]

 

[WillyC]

What we know now… on a redo, McDavid and Mitch go 1-2… we are so lucky.

 

[cyris]

Funcfact: he played center for the London knovhts his last year when he led him to the memorial cup as mvp

I don’t think he was the centre that year. Dvorak was I believe.
Marner was the MVP though