Mitch Marner admits that he's not nearly as comfortable on defense as he thought he'd be

Before the start of the season, there were mentions of playing Mitch Marner in a defensive position in certain situations. As one of the best playmakers in the game, on top of having solid defensive instincts, the idea didn't seem so crazy at the time - or perhaps it seemed so crazy it might just work.

Last night during the Leafs' OT loss against the New Jersey Devils, fans caught a glimpse of Marner on defense and, well, it didn't go over too nicely. In fact, Marner left a lot to be desired there, even for himself. That much was evident when he was absolutely danced by Devils captain Nico Hischier.

The mishap led to a scoring chance, which Marner also acknowledged.

As we all know, Marner is not a defenseman. But it's nice to see him willing to try new positions to help the team in different ways. Naturally, some trial and error is expected. That being said, it might be a better option to keep him where he's comfortable playing until the Leafs can get him some more reps at practice.

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