Mitch Marner Breaks Silence On His Stint Playing Defense vs. Canadiens

Yes, it was a very different sight on Saturday as the Toronto Maple Leafs faced off with the Montreal Canadiens, and it was all due to Mitch Marner playing defense thanks to the litany of injuries to Toronto's back end.

Marner is no stranger to playing defense, as he did so in the preseason back in 2022, and he certainly has the chops to patrol the blue line. When asked about how the experience went post-game, the star forward wasn't too worried when tasked with holding down the fort:

Don't expect a position change any time soon but if Marner is comfortable playing a more defensive role, that could play huge into playoff strategy going forward.

Marner was also the hero on offense last night, with his goal in OT being the difference in a very low scoring 1-0 game, and was actually making a change for Brandon Carlo when he managed to score the winner.

But going forward, knowing that Marner is willing to help on the back end gives Toronto a way to possibly front load their lineup toward the end of the game, putting Marner on defense while sliding in William Nylander or John Tavares up top.

The goal pushed Marner's season point total to 98 with three games left to play, and there's a very good possibility that if he doesn't hit that 100-point plateau against the Hurricanes on Sunday, he'll more than likely get it against Buffalo on Tuesday.

The main focus now, even though Marner played a solid game on defense, is to have their defenders back and healthy. While they won't have Jake McCabe or Oliver Ekman-Larsson against Carolina, they will have Dakota Mermis, so Marner can rest easy and go back to playing offense where he really belongs.