Mitch Marner just said his team is united and doesn't turn their backs on each other, and Maple Leafs fans can read between the lines to what that means.
The Vegas Golden Knights completed a stunning comeback on Sunday night as they fought back from a three-goal deficit to storm back for a 5-3 win. It pushed them one game away from heading to the Stanley Cup Finals, and it was due to their united brotherhood - if you are to believe Mitch Marner.
Marner had two assists to push his playoff point total to an NHL-leading 21 points and looked as clutch as ever when it came to helping Vegas come from behind; just another feather in his impressive postseason cap.
But it was how the team all came together as a whole that has Marner feeling confident about their chances, and when pressed about how he felt after the stunning turnaround, he was more than happy to praise his teammates.
Marner said Vegas stays patient with each other which is the complete opposite of how the Maple Leafs operated
Marner explained that the reason Vegas was able to get themselves back on track is their unwavering belief in each other, and that their patience, persistence, and personalities all led to their Game Three victory:
We have an older group that just stays patient and stays calm. We don't turn on each other, we don't get mad at each other.
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Marner's comments harken back to a time where the Maple Leafs bench was filled with tension. We saw William Nylander visibly upset during the playoffs, and also had Auston Matthews saying the team had 'too many passengers' when it came to their performances.
It also seemingly echoes Brad Treliving's previous comments about the team 'not buying-in' to the game plan and forgetting the common goal. Marner is seeing a team who is buying in, who is fighting for each other, and he's finding unmitigated success. Toronto's stuck in the same rut spinning their wheels.
There was no patience in the past for errors or mistakes and the constant bickering, infighting and tension only made Toronto's playoff failures worse. It wasn't they just lost, or choked; it was that they did it with such malice towards each other.
Then this season when all hope was lost, the head coach didn't understand why the locker room felt so deflated and failed to recognize that he lost the room. It was a domino effect that kept on free falling.
The Maple Leafs' culture rebuild just got their blueprint from Mitch Marner and Vegas
With the Maple Leafs dead set on changing the culture, Marner and the Golden Knights just gave them the best example of how to win. All you need is a bit of patience and belief in each other and you can succeed.
Down 3-0 in the first period is hard in the regular season let alone the Western Conference Finals, so it's even more impressive that the Golden Knights never gave up, chipped away, and came through with the win. That's solely because the team knew the talent they had, believed in the system, and saw things through with heart and soul.
That's what the Maple Leafs sorely lack. They gave up on Craig Berube's game plan pretty quickly, didn't stick up for each other when targeted, and passed the blame around yet again. Marner is seeing in real-time the stark differences between Vegas and Toronto; and he knows he made a good decision.
All Toronto needs to do is to make sure they bring in a coach who has a game plan that can succeed, a roster that is built for them, and also ensure they become competitive in only a few short months.
Pressure's on for the Maple Leafs.
Do you believe Mitch Marner when he says that Vegas has a lot more patience?
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Auston Matthews and John Chayka finally got on a call and he made his position clear