The Marner trade talk has been swirling around Toronto all summer, largely due to another disappointing early postseason exit by the Maple Leafs, as they lost in 7 games in round 1 against the Boston Bruins.
Marner is a very talented player who especially excels in the regular season. The 2023-24 season was no different, as he put up an impressive 85 points in 69 GP. However, Marner's struggles in the playoffs continued, as he only put up 3 points in 7 playoff games, which is a huge contributing factor in their round 1 loss.
An extremely disappointing statistic came out on Marner's postseason play that proves he is the worst point producer of the entire Core 4 in games 5, 6 and 7 over the past 5 postseasons, as per @BigHeadLeafs_ on X.
Mitch Marner's point production when it matters most is far and away the worst out of the Core 4. In the same number of potential elimination games from 2019-2024, fellow teammate William Nylander has amassed a total of 6 goals and 2 assists more than Marner. How can the Leafs justify paying Marner more than Nylander?
While not all of the Maple Leafs playoff woes can be blamed on Marner's play, there are many indicators that he cannot produce the same way in the playoffs that he does in the regular season - especially in the big moments.
In my opinion, Marner has overstayed his welcome in Toronto and a trade should be the top priority of GM Brad Treliving. In short, the Maple Leafs need to either move Marner this summer or make peace with having him walk as a UFA next summer and using the near $22M in cap space that will open up with the expiration of the Marner and Tavares contracts to re-tool in a major way next summer.
The Source: HockeyDB
Mitch Marner Statistics
POLL | ||
JUILLET 24 | 819 ANSWERS One horrible Mitch Marner stat that should not be overlooked this summer Is the Leafs' lack of playoff success largely to do with Mitch Marner's play in the offseason? | ||
Yes, if he was playing like a star, they'd win | 217 | 26.5 % |
No, it takes the whole team to lose | 602 | 73.5 % |
List of polls |