TORONTO – Mitch Marner's love for the Maple Leafs is no secret.
A turbulent and rumor-filled off-season has left the star winger's future with the team he grew up supporting in doubt.
Marner has stopped that conversation – at least for now – and impressed those around him with his approach.
The crafty winger picked up his first two points of 2024-25 on Saturday with a goal and an assist in Toronto's 4-2 home win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“I’ve been watching Mitch from afar for a long time,” said Leafs coach Craig Berube, hired in May to jumpstart an organization with just one playoff series win in the NHL’s salary cap era. “He is a very good player both ways, in all situations… great teammate.
“I have a lot of energy – that’s really good, really good.”
Marner's departure on Saturday pushed him past Ron Ellis into seventh place on the Leafs' all-time scoring list with 641 points in 579 regular-season games.
“It’s a really, really cool accomplishment,” said the product of nearby Thornhill, Ont. “I've talked a thousand times about being from here and loving growing up being part of this team. It’s really cool to have your name with some of the all-time greats who played in this jersey and with this logo.”
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Whether or not Marner would continue wearing those blue and white lines was a hot topic this summer after the Leafs were eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons.
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The 27-year-old forward took his share of the blame for the previous spring's failures, but the 2024 loss to the Boston Bruins in seven games saw even more bitterness from fans than usual.
Management publicly reflected on changes to Toronto's highly paid and underperforming core, but opted for just one major change – firing coach Sheldon Keefe and replacing him with Stanley Cup winner Berube.
Marner, who is in the final year of a big-money contract and is eligible to sign an extension as of July 1, may well have followed his former boss out of town if not for a full no-movement clause attached. to your current business.
Toronto winger Matthew Knies said the noise surrounding his linemate is nothing new.
“He puts pressure on him all the time… I think we all do,” said Knies, who scored his first goal of the season on Saturday. “It’s exactly the type of market we’re in, but he’s been a pro at it. He's been very mature about it. It doesn't really seem to bother him at all.
“I can tell it’s not affecting him. He's playing his game and he's on fire right now. We want to keep it that way.”
Marner made an excellent read early in Saturday's third period before weaving past a defender and shooting past Joel Blomqvist's block for a 3-1 lead.
“He’s been incredible,” said Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz, Marner’s teammate with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League a decade ago. “His attention to detail in the defensive zone, his edge work is incredible. Off the ice, he's a fun guy and lights up the room.
“Someone who is extremely valuable to our team.”
Marner tipped his hat to those around him after surpassing Ellis on the Leafs' all-time points list.
“Without them, this wouldn’t be possible,” he said. “There are five men on the ice, there are 23 guys at a time. Much credit to everyone around me who helped me get to this point.
“It’s cool, but we’re trying to get something cooler and bigger.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2024.
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