Mitch Marner has been a consistent topic of discussion for Leafs media during their first round matchup against the Boston Bruins. Today, a Sportsnet panel featuring Elliotte Friedman broke down what lead up to an altercation between Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander.
According to Friedman, the guys were arguing about a play off the faceoff that William Nylander potentially messed up. When they broke down the play, we can see Nylander passing to Jake McCabe when the play was theoretically meant to go to Morgan Rielly.
Regardless, the fac reaction was rather unanimous. Marner's stock in Toronto has certainly been dropping as he often appears to be unengaged. He has consistently been a target of criticism from Leafs fans.
Perhaps Marner saw some of that criticism. Perhaps he knew there was somewhat of a target on his back, and he responded in a big way. By NHL gamescore, Marner was the best player for the Leafs in game five.
Will he be able to repeat that performance in game six? If Auston Matthews is still out of the lineup, they will need another game like this from Marner. Regardless, his status with the team could be in jeopardy should the Leafs fall to the Bruins in the series. Many believe major changes will come to the team if that is the case, potentially with a shake up coming to the core for. That might mean trading a player like Mitch Marner. It will certainly be an interesting offseason to watch for Leafs fans.
