Mitch Marner Offseason Continued

[Beyonder91]

Marner said he was not going to change a thing in his offseason training. Don't be surprised that he will be a playoff disappointment next year.

If you watch the video that quote was taken out of context. Marner said no and then immediately started talking about the series and how they played in it saying he wouldn't have changed how they played.
He really didn't answer the question properly.

 

[TorMapleJays]

He isn’t going anywhere.


Sad but true.

Dubas loves this kid. The core is here to stay.

That means we have to remove him then. If he refuses to adapt and rejects CI

 

[Stephen]

If we keep Marner, and it looks like we will, they need to make better use of his high end skills.

Why do we need an $11 million man playing PK, the low percentage SH goal? Use those minutes skewed towards more offensive production.

Can we work on his standard level of physical engagement so it’s at an average level of NHL buy in on a 50/50 puck battle?

Can we improve his lower body strength and explosive skating capabilities to compliment his excellent edge work?

Can we have a stricter puck management mandate and encourage straighter lines to the net with more urgency?

 

[Clark4Ever]

I was telling my buddy the other day that Marner seems like the type of player that would probably excel in the playoffs in a non traditional hockey market where he wouldn't be under the microscope.

I just don't see him being able to cut it here with all the scrutiny and pressure of living up to his contract in his hometown.

I honestly think it would be best for both parties to move on.

 

[capfit9]

Moneybags Mitch is no Dougie even though he tries really hard to brand himself that

 

[ShaneFalco]

I was telling my buddy the other day that Marner seems like the type of player that would probably excel in the playoffs in a non traditional hockey market where he wouldn't be under the microscope.

I just don't see him being able to cut it here with all the scrutiny and pressure of living up to his contract in his hometown.

I honestly think it would be best for both parties to move on.

Agreed. It didn't start well with the contract negotiation tactics and he'll be run out of town before long. Kyle doesn't have the stones though

 

[ACC1224]

Moneybags Mitch is no Dougie even though he tries really hard to brand himself that

How is he branding himself to be like Gilmour?

 

[Kurtz]

To be honest, if you look at Stanley cup winning teams, the best winger on them isn’t a playmaking winger who doesn’t score a lot, it’s typically a guy who shoots a ton and scores a ton ie. Ovechkin, kessel, kucherov, tarasenko, Kane, Guantzel, Gaborik on LA second cup. I can only think of one star winger who was a pass first that’s won the cup and that was M.Stlouis and that wasn’t even in the cap era.

Kessel, Kane, Kutcherov are probably the best playmaking wingers in the game next to Mitch.

 

[Trapper]

Kessel, Kane, Kutcherov are probably the best playmaking wingers in the game next to Mitch.

The exception being they are all natural goal scorers as well.

 

[ToneDog]

If we keep Marner, and it looks like we will, they need to make better use of his high end skills.

Why do we need an $11 million man playing PK, the low percentage SH goal? Use those minutes skewed towards more offensive production.

Can we work on his standard level of physical engagement so it’s at an average level of NHL buy in on a 50/50 puck battle?

Can we improve his lower body strength and explosive skating capabilities to compliment his excellent edge work?

Can we have a stricter puck management mandate and encourage straighter lines to the net with more urgency?

Mitch is used on the PK more to help kill off penalties. Bergeron and Marchand kill penalties for the Bruins and they have no problem performing in the playoffs.

 

[Stephen]

Mitch is used on the PK more to help kill off penalties. Bergeron and Marchand kill penalties for the Bruins and they have no problem performing in the playoffs.

But Marner can’t produce in the playoffs at a similar rate to the regular season so why not unburden him with some of the extra curricular a that can be picked up by a player at a fraction of the cost, who could use some extra reps anyway?

 

[Kurtz]

The exception being they are all natural goal scorers as well.

Sure - although Mitch scored more goals than Kane and as many as Phil this year. Overall though Kane, Kessel and Kutch stand out for their playmaking more than their scoring.

Add Panarin, and those are probably your top 5 playmaking wings in the league (though Kess might be washed at this point). Oh, and I guess Rat Boy would also have to be on the list.

 

[centipede2233]

Kessel, Kane, Kutcherov are probably the best playmaking wingers in the game next to Mitch.

They are also high volume shooting goal scorers which Mitch isnt. You missed the point.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

If you watch the video that quote was taken out of context. Marner said no and then immediately started talking about the series and how they played in it saying he wouldn't have changed how they played.
He really didn't answer the question properly.

he said he wouldn't change how he prepared for the playoffs, with the justification that he and his line generated a lot of chances. Most people in his position would recognize that his mental lapses and weakness in puck battles and lack of goal scoring ability are all areas of improvement. Playoffs are all about exploiting weaknesses, and Marner has a bunch. Until he works on them, he's not going to magically start to thrive in the playoffs

 

[Kurtz]

They are also high volume shooting goal scorers which Mitch isnt. You missed the point.

Maybe I did then- what is your point, exactly? That you need a wing that shoots and scores a lot to win the cup? What if we have a couple of centres that do that instead?

 

[Martin Skoula]

Keefe made the same mistake twice in 2 playoffs. Last year, he should never have stacked Tavares with Marner & Matthews. If anything, you swap Marner with Nylander and find a better balance. This year, Tavares was hurt and he decided to keep the 2 lines unbalanced. Marner should have moved down and Nylander up. It's great to have your top 2 forwards on the same line but while skill is synergistic, creativity isnt. You need a team to fear what can happen on at least 2 lines. Even Hyman should have played on the vaunted shut down line but why have a shutdown line when keefe hates to line match.

How was that the problem? The second line was scoring. If the problem was that Montreal was shutting down the top line, swapping Nylander and Marner would just result in them swapping point totals. If the problem was that Marner was playing poorly and failing to make simple passes, swapping him and Nylander would still have us being a one line team just on a different line. Dropping Marner to the third line I could see an argument for.

 

[mikeyz]

Come on Dubas!! You want to start winning the fans back. Pull the trigger on this. Marner for Eichel and whatever other minor pieces that it takes.

 

[17 Clark]

Moneybags Mitch is no Dougie even though he tries really hard to brand himself that

He couldn’t even carry the Gilmores jockstrap

 

[Stonehands1990]

Mitch is used on the PK more to help kill off penalties. Bergeron and Marchand kill penalties for the Bruins and they have no problem performing in the playoffs.

Bergeron & Marchand rarely play more than 20 mins including PK. Keefe plays Matthews & Marner the same minutes as a D man and wonders why they are burnt out at the end of games. They hit 24 minutes regularly

 

[Notsince67]

How was that the problem? The second line was scoring. If the problem was that Montreal was shutting down the top line, swapping Nylander and Marner would just result in them swapping point totals. If the problem was that Marner was playing poorly and failing to make simple passes, swapping him and Nylander would still have us being a one line team just on a different line. Dropping Marner to the third line I could see an argument for.

Generally, the best practice is not to stack lines. It balances the quality of competition.

 

[Martin Skoula]

Generally, the best practice is not to stack lines. It balances the quality of competition.

We didn't stack lines, our best performing winger and our best performing center were on different lines. Quality of competition is not the reason Marner was not able to complete simple passes, score on wide open nets, or hold the line on the PP.

 

[Notsince67]

We didn't stack lines, our best performing winger and our best performing center were on different lines. Quality of competition is not the reason Marner was not able to complete simple passes, score on wide open nets, or hold the line on the PP.

You are deluded. You believe quality of competition was balanced between the lines? You believe when Marner was playing with Kadri that Boston put the Bergeron line against Matthew's and Nylander? You have a lot to learn apparently

 

[Dreakmur]

How is he branding himself to be like Gilmour?

Mullet power!

 

[TheGreatOne11]

Some serious smoke coming out of Buffalo.

Could legitimately see an Eichel for Marner trade happening, might just be the perfect storm of us needing a big change up, Buffalo being sick of Eichel and this injury.

Could be good for both players.

I'm not saying i want this to happen, but before i thought it was next to impossible, now that Buffalo is done with him, could actually happen.

 

[Leafsfan74]

Some serious smoke coming out of Buffalo.

Could legitimately see an Eichel for Marner trade happening, might just be the perfect storm of us needing a big change up, Buffalo being sick of Eichel and this injury.

Could be good for both players.

I'm not saying i want this to happen, but before i thought it was next to impossible, now that Buffalo is done with him, could actually happen.

I'm not trading Marner for Eichel. I doubt Dubas is either.

If I am the Leafs and looking to trade Marner on a high, as he is a top five point man in the league now; I'm doing it for a couple of scenarios only:

1) To free up cap space because I have my eye on another high priced free agent and I simply need to make room. He could accept near NHL prospects servicable players and First Round picks in such a scenario. I would have strongly considered this last year to make a run at Pietriangelo.

2) Trade for other well valued player(s) (say in the $3M-$5M range) so that I can fill specific depth on the team while still adding cap space (this is key in all scenarios), along with the additional cap space the team will get with other expiring contracts to make runs at other players, especially Free Agents.

The last option for me, would be to trade a large contract for another player on a large contract that does similar things, except without the longer playoff record (even if it's a bad one).

Marner may not be a Gamer when the chips are down come playoffs and there is enough to be critical of, he has been a part of the team that has five straight playoff appearances. In short, there are teams that could use his offense to sneak in, Leafs need more of a tough, forechecking breed to succeed when in the playoffs.

I'm not at all convinced Leafs are going to trade him. The legacy of management is going to be tied to his success or failure more than anyones.

I would definitely be listening to offers and getting broad imput from others to make sure if a trade happens, it's to win a Cup and not be humiliated in the post-season again anytime soon.