The Toronto Maple Leafs have a new management staff, are looking for a new coach, and have the top pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft. All signs that they have moved on from a disastrous season, but someone who should be focusing on his playoff success and the upcoming Stanley Cup Final still seems to be attempting to rewrite history about his failed nine-year tenure in Toronto.
Mitch Marner has had an excellent playoffs in his first season with the Vegas Golden Knights, posting 21 points (7 goals, 14 assists) in 16 games, which is more than he compiled in the last three seasons with Toronto, two of which were the only times the Leafs got out of the first round. You would think that the former #16 would be focused on celebrating his newly minted postseason success with his new club, but after a four-game sweep of the Colorado Avalanche, the winger clearly needed to dwell on the reasons why he left Toronto.
“(The sweep) was a special moment. There’s been some dark times in hockey for myself honestly,” Marner said. “I’m thankful for my family, my brother, my mom and dad, my wife, all my friends around me. That was a moment to express some joy and fun.”
Once again, for someone who was anxious to leave Toronto and go to greener and less tension-filled pastures out West, Marner seems to continually be focused on changing the narrative on his time with his hometown team. There is no doubt that his new chapter in Nevada has been successful. He is benefiting from being with a club that won a Stanley Cup just a few years ago. Still, there is also little doubt that with the Golden Knights, he is succeeding as a high-end complementary player, similar to how Phil Kessel fit in with the Penguins after being traded to Pittsburgh in 2015.
The chapter in Toronto is closed. His nine years were a failure. He was not solely responsible for it, but his 1 goal, 10 assists and -8 in 26 Games 5, 6, and 7’s speak louder than words. Marner is an amazing on-ice talent. He played very well for Canada at the Four Nations and the Olympics, and he might be the leading candidate for the Conn Smythe if the Golden Knights beat either Montreal or Carolina, but it is clear that he simply could not handle the pressure of performing when it counted when wearing Blue and White.
The Toronto Marlies open the Eastern Conference Final against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Pennsylvania on Wednesday night. The Marlies split two games against the Pens this season, and head coach John Gruden recognizes that his club faces a significant challenge.
“They’re a different matchup for us, for sure. They’re probably the most dangerous team I’ve seen watching video if you turn the puck over.” Gruden said. “They go quick. They get four, five in the attack at times. They’re a dangerous team and they can make plays with open ice so we’re going to have to make sure that we manage the puck and don’t feed into their transition.”
WB/S are led by 23-year-old Tristan Broz, who has nine points (3 goals, 6 assists) in nine games against Hershey and Springfield. The series promises to be a duel between Russian goaltenders Sergei Murashov and Artur Akhtyamov. Murashov is widely considered the Penguins’ goalie of the future, and played five NHL games this season in Pittsburgh. He is 6-3 with a microscopic 1.74 GAA and .943 save percentage. Akhtyamov, who has played in nine straight games after replacing Dennis Hildeby in Game 2 of the second-round series against Laval, is 7-4, with a 2.18 GAA, and .922 save percentage.
