Marner passes to the head of the NHL’s creative class
Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner is the toast of the NHL right now when it comes to one statistic in particular: primary assists.
Marner, who — entering Friday — led the NHL in that category (26) as the last player to touch the puck before the scorer, is at the centre of an interesting discussion these days about the value of playmakers in comparison to pure goal scorers.
The stat is intended to highlight the work that leads up to a goal, but it only goes so far. On the negative side, a superb stretch pass — maybe two or three touches removed from the goal itself — might be the key and not receive the attention it deserves on the scoresheet.
Marner’s work, though, has been getting plenty of worthy notice — driving the Leafs’ offence as well as interest in the less popular stat as a measure of a player’s skill.
For Marner, assists — primary, secondary — come naturally. He admits he’s a pass-first player, but isn’t the type to overpass and foil a good scoring chance. He doesn’t just set up goals. He creates them.
The depth of the Leafs’ lineup — even in the absence of restricted free-agent William Nylander, and during Auston Matthews’ absence with a shoulder injury — goes a long way. The Leafs have four lines built on speed, skill and puck control, allowing Marner a bit more room to freelance than others.
“We’re not three or four guys dangerous; we’re three and four lines dangerous,” Leafs centre John Tavares said.
The Leafs took Friday off, and would be even more “dangerous” in the coming days if Nylander were to return to the fold.
“I’ve had a couple of dreams where they signed him in my sleep, but I woke up disappointed,” joked Leaf Kasperi Kapanen, perhaps Nylander’s best friend on the team. “I texted him and told him, and we had a good laugh.”
Meantime, while coach Mike Babcock’s Leafs have racked up 18 wins in 26 games despite playing at less than full strength, Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe recently reached a huge number of his own: 158 career wins, passing Dallas Eakins for the most in the AHL team’s history.