Popular analyst reveals his surprising take on Mitch Marner that may tick off William Nylander fans
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NHL analyst Nick Kypreos makes a living discussing all things related to the Toronto Maple Leafs, among other noteworthy items. On Thursday, Kypreos was doing his normal day-to-day banter on the Leafs, this time on The Leafs Nation's "Leafs Morning Take", when something very interesting came up. The question was asked that if he had to choose between Mitch Marner and William Nylander, which side would he gravitate towards?
Leafs Morning Take host, Nick Alberga, wanted to specifically get Kypreos' thoughts on Marner because it feels more and more obvious that the fan base has really soured and turned against the high-octane playmaker. Kypreos believes it started from day 1 when former head coach Mike Babcock wanted a bigger defenseman (Noah Hanifin) compared to the smaller playmaker in Marner:
"I don't think anything's changed since the moment he was drafted. If you follow the narrative on when he was drafted and Babcock wanted a bigger defenseman instead of this little mousey prospect from the London Knights then you will see a love-hate relationship with the Leafs fans and Mitch Marner for the last 6-7 years." - Kyper on Marner
While many are still in favour of Marner sticking around for the long haul, there's still a large faction of the fan base that is ready to unload his contract, get him off the team, and just downright are not interested in his overall package as a player:
"I don't get it to be honest with you. I called him the engine of this team for a long, long time. He's a special player and he'll be regarded as one of the greatest Leafs in history when it comes to producing points and being up there with the great leaders of the franchise with Darryl Sittler and Mats Sundin.
But there's always been this love-hate narrative with him and I think it started from day 1 with Babcock but in saying that, i think what's also triggered it a little more over the last little while is the Willy Nylander situation and can you have two of them in your lineup making 11-12 million dollars? Does one of them have to go? Mitch Marner has a bad game, he should be traded, he has a good game and he should be the one staying and this love-hate relationship will continue for Mitch Marner in this city but you go back and document his career over the last 6 years, it's been there since day 1 and I don't get it for one second."
But there's always been this love-hate narrative with him and I think it started from day 1 with Babcock but in saying that, i think what's also triggered it a little more over the last little while is the Willy Nylander situation and can you have two of them in your lineup making 11-12 million dollars? Does one of them have to go? Mitch Marner has a bad game, he should be traded, he has a good game and he should be the one staying and this love-hate relationship will continue for Mitch Marner in this city but you go back and document his career over the last 6 years, it's been there since day 1 and I don't get it for one second."
Jay Rosehill then asked Kypreos what would happen if the Maple Leafs lost out in the post-season in disappointing fashion again. Taking John Tavares out of the equation, how do you deal with the remaining 3 core players moving forward in that situation?
"One of them will have to go, I honestly believe that, for me, Mitch Marner is more of a complete player than Willy Nylander. He might not be totally naturally talented as Willy and everybody needs a Willy Nylander in the lineup but not to the expense, where you short-changed your blue-line."
He double-downs on his take that Marner should be kept over Nylander if the Maple Leafs had to choose between the two but he also understands that with one year left on his deal after the 2023-24 season, Marner would bring back the best package:
"I would keep Mitch Marner but in saying that I really believe that with Mitch Marner - with 1 more year left on his deal - he might bring you a higher return if you traded him, he might bring one or two top-4 defense, he might bring you top blue-chip prospects. I think the package to get more back is in the hands of a Mitch Marner than it is a Willy Nylander but for a 200-foot player, the one that has a conscious for being third man high, or coming back hard to defend, for me it's Mitch Marner all day long that I want to keep."
It once again all boils down to playoff success and whether or not this extremely talented core can take the much-needed leap forward. It's been the same song and dance for over half a decade now and with contracts expiring this year and the next, tough decisions are on hand for Brad Treliving and company.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 14 | 822 ANSWERS Popular analyst reveals his surprising take on Mitch Marner that may tick off William Nylander fans If you could only keep one player on the Leafs which would you choose to keep, all things equal? | ||
| Mitch Marner | 451 | 54.9 % |
| William Nylander | 371 | 45.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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