As players begin to take their off-season training to a more intense level to prepare for training camp, Mitch Marner was seen on the ice Tuesday working vigorously with other NHLers. He also sported an equipment change that has captured the attention of The Hockey News' Nick Barden.
In the video, you can see Marner completing a drill wearing all white skates, instead of the usual black boot. This isn't something new for Marner as he has worn the white boot before with custom graphics at his All-Star appearances the past couple of seasons.
While Marner had 85 points in 69 games for the Leafs this past season, he once again struggled in the playoffs, posting just 3 points in 7 games when the Leafs needed him most as they were without Auston Matthews and William Nylander for parts of their series against Boston.
Marner appears to be hoping that changing to a skate that the likes of Sergei Federov and Wayne Gretzky used will help him finally hit the 100-point mark in the regular season and maybe garner some post-season success for him as well.
As Marner enters the final year of his 6-year deal with the Leafs, there does not appear to be any sort of imminent resolution coming, whether by trade or extension, which means it could be a very long season of rumours and repeated questions for the 27-year-old pending unrestricted free agent.
Source for stats: Hockey DB
Marner career stats
POLL | ||
JUILLET 27 | 2190 ANSWERS Mitch Marner appears to be preparing to make a significant change in 2024-25 Will Marner reach 100 points this season? | ||
Yes | 1560 | 71.2 % |
No | 630 | 28.8 % |
List of polls |