Paul Bissonnette Issues Apology to Mitch Marner After Outspoken Criticism

Mitch Marner has been given a lot of heat this offseason for his seemingly lack of caring as he was seen Sea-Dooing with his dog and visiting old friends at a carnival. He has also gained a lot of flak for his postseason performances, though he can score in the beginning of the series, he loses his ability to produce when it matters; Game 7. Paul Bissonnette, former enforcer, NHL analyst and co-host of the Spittin' Chiclets podcast gave his thoughts on Marner and felt like the Maple Leafs winger severely underperformed going so far as to call him 'pathetic'

Bissonnette isn't shy about his love for the Maple Leafs and clearly he was disappointed to see such a talented player disappear when the team needs him the most. However, it looks like after a bit of internal discussion, Bissonnette feels like Marner not only deserves praise as an elite player in the league, but that he could do something incredible this season:

It's a strikingly bold claim only a few months from when 'BizNasty' called out Marner in the playoffs. For what it's worth, Bissonnette has every right to be a bit upset, as Marner's stats in Game 7's aren't really that good. He's only registered two assists and is -5 +/- over 5 separate Game 7's; including three against Boston. Though he may want to call out all the other Maple Leafs who haven't stepped up, including Auston Matthews (3 assists, -5 +/-), John Tavares (1 goal, -3 +/-), and William Nylander; who would be the most successful of the Core Four with 2 goals and 2 assists but is also -3 +/-.

It seems the entire core of the team has troubles in Game 7, and often find themselves on the ice when big goals are scored against them. Being a combined -16 +/- with only 10 points is pretty sad given the talent the Maple Leafs have. While Bissonnette may have focused more on Marner given his top line status, there's no denying the entirety of that group is responsible for the failures of Toronto in Game 7. Marner is playing in the final year of his deal, and although not directly mentioned, he has to be playing for extra motivation come free agency.

It also should be said that Bissonnette clearly loves the Maple Leafs. It's his childhood team, and one he roots for with deep admiration and attention. It can sometimes cloud his judgement and it may come off like he is exceedingly more harsh with Maple Leafs mistakes than other teams, but that's just a bit of bias showing through. No analyst can truly be objective, you still have the love of the teams you grew up watching and sometimes it can lead to some harsh criticisms.

Bissonnette apologized to Marner and believes he's destined to do big things this year. There's a simple solution to prevent this from ever happening again though.

Win the Stanley Cup.