Is Mitch Marner the most underrated star in the NHL? The numbers seem to support it
Simply mentioning the name Mitch Marner around Leafs fans seems to start an argument these days. The Leafs' homegrown star has been a source of heated debate since signing his massive $10.893 million per year contract. Things went south for Mitch in the eyes of the fans during the heated, and very public, contract negotiation.
Marner's many detractors need only point at his lack of playoff production over the past few seasons as reason enough to ship him out the door for a big tough defenseman. While it's true that Marner hasn't helped himself in that area, I believe it's gotten to the point where we underrate what he does do for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Especially since the Christmas break.
From the start of the season to Dec 31, Marner was just pretty good, putting up 21 points in 24 games, a 72-point pace. For an $11 million player, that's not good enough. Fans that were still upset over his dismal series against Montreal immediately took notice of this, and public opinion trended even lower.
Since December 1st however, Marner has played the best hockey of his career, 15 goals, 33 points in just 19 games. That pace works out to 64 goals and 142 points over 82 games. I don't need to tell you that those numbers are absolutely bonkers, even for a player on a line with Auston Matthews.
Now, if I told you that fans are still calling for a player scoring at a 142-point pace for 2 entire months to be traded, you'd say they were crazy if it was any other player and any other team. But still many fans across Leafs nation can't come to grips with the fact that Mitch Marner is not only playing up to his contract, but exceeding it. Since Jan 1st, Marner leads the entire NHL in points per game among players with more than 5 games played. Simply put, since his return from COVID protocol, Mitch Marner has been arguably the league's best player.
Based on the absolutely insane pace Marner is on right now, and the fact that half the fanbase still seems to hate him, it's becoming clear that Mitch Marner has gone from underperforming dud, to the most underrated star in the NHL today. The only way to change this perception for Mitch is to do what he's doing now, or something close to it, come playoff time. I believe it's all in his head, and that a run like the one he's been on will do wonders for his confidence. A confident Mitch Marner is a force to be reckoned with, and I believe we will see that this season.
