The Vegas Golden Knights are looking to bring home another Stanley Cup as they currently find themselves in a 2-2 series split with the Anaheim Ducks. They came up short last night in a 4-3 loss on the road.
Despite the loss, Mitch Marner was once again effective for Vegas as he potted home three assists in the game. Marner is now up to six goals and ten assists for 16 points in ten games thus far in the playoffs. No player in the postseason has recorded more points than Marner to this point.
Mitch Marner Exorcising Playoff Demons
Performing in the playoffs has not always been the case for Marner. During his nine year stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the postseason tended to be a tough time of year for Mitch. In 70 playoff games with Toronto, Marner amassed 13 goals and 50 assists for 63 points in 70 games.
While those numbers are not bad, they are not nearly as strong as his regular season totals with the Maple Leafs. In 657 career games with Toronto, Marner recorded 221 goals and 520 assists for 721 points.
This season with Vegas has been the opposite. Marner had a relatively quiet regular season for his standards as he registered 24 goals and 56 assists for 80 points in 81 games. However, he has exploded in the playoffs as he leads the entire NHL in production.
Vegas coach John Tortorella has sung the praises of Marner’s play. Tortorella slammed the critics of Marner’s game following his teams Game 3 win, stating the anti-clutch narratives surrounding him are false.
Marner has shown with his strong play during these playoffs that perhaps his playoff struggles were not entirely to do with him, but more so to do with the team he formerly played with.
Toronto Has Struggled Without Marner
While Marner continues to flourish in Vegas; Toronto has struggled on the flip side of the pond. The Maple Leafs missed out on the playoffs in their first year without Marner’s services.
Marner’s former running mate, Auston Matthews, had by far his worst season in the NHL without his longtime teammate. Matthews production this past year was noticeably less than Marner, with just 27 goals and 26 assists in 60 games.
With the stark contrast in the way Marner and his former team’s campaigns have unfolded, perhaps it is fair to say Marner was not the problem in Toronto after all. The Maple Leafs felt the need to move on from him after another disappointing playoff performance in 2025. However, they learned how difficult it is to replace an elite player of Marner’s caliber this year as the club missed his offensive contributions.
Toronto caught a break with the results of the 2026 NHL draft lottery, in which they landed the first overall pick with the fifth best odds. The Maple Leafs have the opportunity to add Gavin McKenna on their 26-27 squad; he could be the Marner replacement they need. With that said, it will be interesting to see if the franchise can learn from past history and avoid driving another one of their potential star players out of town in the future.
Mitch Marner Showing He Was Not the Problem in Toronto