He’s a long way from the fourth line
Given where he was a year ago — parked from time to time in coach Mike Babcock’s doghouse — it’s quite remarkable where Mitch Marner is now. Overshadowed through a training camp that had the added hype of John Tavares in blue and the the amped-up mania that goes with Auston Matthews taking his game to a new level, it was Marner who led the Toronto Maple Leafs in scoring.
Two goals, six assists. He plays the power play and the penalty kill, creating scoring opportunities now matter how many of his teammates are on the ice.
“His all-around game is extremely impressive,” said Tavares. “He plays in all situations. He’s great on both sides of the puck. Just tremendous energy he’s got. He’s able to play with so much pace to his game, shift after shift. He’s hounding pucks down, stripping guys. When he gets the puck, he knows what to do with it.”
Marner led the Leafs in scoring last season, with 69 points in 82 games, six points up on Matthews (who missed 20 games.) Marner did it despite spending a great deal of time on the fourth line in the first half of the season and averaging 16:23 of ice time, 11th on the team.
More will be expected of Marner this year, his third in the NHL.
“He’s getting better, he’s getting stronger,” Babcock said. “What you hope is that you get to the level you (expect), your lows are a lot shorter.
“He’s got a lot to learn, he’s got to get a lot stronger over time, and he will. But he’s a good player, and an important part of our team.” Marner seems physically stronger this year, though still wiry and elusive. It’s off the ice where he seems to have grown a great deal, starting his own charity — the Marner Assist Fund — to support children’s health and social care. It had its inaugural event over the summer.
“We’ve had some veteran guys come in here and I’ve learned a lot off all of them,” Marner said. “My first year, I was hanging out with Marty (Matt Martin) a lot, and he showed me how to be a pro. He was like a big brother to me, making sure I was comfortable. If I ever needed to talk, he was there for me.”
Babcock told Marner in the middle of the summer that he would be killing penalties this season.
“I wasn’t really expecting it,” he said. “So I’m learning that, what guys like to do.”
His experience on the power play — knowing the mindset of an offensive player — will help him kill penalties.
“I’ve got to use my speed, making sure I get down the ice, putting pressure on people,” Marner said.
“When you’re on the power play, you know it’s uncomfortable when you’re feeling pressure down ice and the breakout is in shambles.
“Just have to pressure people a lot.”
The Leafs’ penalty kill seems very aggressive, regardless of which players are on the ice. Marner, Kasperi Kapanen and Par Lindholm each scored in pre-season. The penalty-killing forwards have seemingly created as many scoring plays as they’ve surrendered. They’re more likely to hold on to the puck than, say, Leo Komarov did last year.
“It depends on what I have in front of me,” said Marner. “If I am going for it, that I’m making the right play. If it’s a one-onone with guys back on their team, I’m not going to make a play. If there’s a rush opportunity, I’ll take it. If not, I’ll make the smart play.” Babcock said he thought about using Marner on the penalty kill last year. But he didn’t for a variety of reasons. For one thing, Marner had enough to learn about playing at even strength and the power play. He also went through that rough patch and wasn’t — at least in the first half in Babcock’s eyes — playing to the right level.
“Things come on an as-earned basis,” Babcock said. “I don’t believe you just give kids stuff. They’ve got to earn it. That’s in all things. If they earn it, they appreciate it more, and they end up doing a better job.”