Maple Leafs: Marner’s Playoff Struggles Summarized By Bailing on Hit
As his numbers indicate, there is little reason to be concerned about Marner’s regular-season production. His 639 points in 576 games prove that he is well worth his $10.9 million cap cost, and he may even be qualified for a raise when that contract expires following the 2024–2025 season. Marner’s issue, though, is that he transforms into a whole different player come playoff time.
Marner Ignored for Two Games Against the Bruins
Marner did not play in Monday night’s game as the Maple Leafs defeated the Boston Bruins to level their first-round series. This was Marner’s second consecutive loss. He was virtually unnoticeable, which resulted in few to no scoring opportunities.
Considering that there have only been two games, this shouldn’t be too concerning. But Marner is no stranger to this pattern; throughout his career, he has consistently appeared to falter in the postseason. Although on the surface, his 47 points in 52 postseason games seem good, a large number of those points have come in spurts or after his team has already lost the game or series. The dynamic force Maple Leafs fans are accustomed to seeing during the regular season is far from him.
Marner’s style of play is largely to blame for this. Despite his great skill, he is considered by many to be a perimeter player—someone who avoids direct contact and isn’t known for getting into trouble. These players usually fare well during the regular season but suffer during the playoffs, where a much more physical style of play is prevalent.
Even though the Leafs’ postseason campaign is only two games old, Marner’s soft play has already been evident on multiple occasions. The move that gave him an unobstructed path to be the first player to the puck along the boards in the Bruins’ end was possibly the worst of all.
He gave up on the play, allowing the Bruins defenseman to retrieve the puck after realizing he would have to take a blow from Charlie McAvoy. At this time of year, Marner’s kind of play is far from unusual, and it contributes significantly to the Leafs’ postseason difficulties.
Marner Extension Is a Dangerous Idea
The questions about Marner’s play at this time of year will vanish if he can turn things around and assist the Leafs in going on a lengthy playoff run. It is difficult to imagine things changing, though, given what we have witnessed in each of the previous seven years during our brief playoff runs.
General manager Brad Treliving may not have made the best choice in signing Marner to a deal given the way he performs when games count most. Based on his regular season performance, it seems likely that he will receive a pretty similar contract, if not a modest bump. This will severely hurt the Leafs’ hopes of ending their protracted Stanley Cup drought, in addition to reducing their cap capacity for additional roster adjustments.
In spite of his difficulties during the playoffs, Marner is still highly valuable to the team and might fetch a high return in a trade. Treliving might be better off going this way with plays like the one we saw on Monday.
They would be able to replace other holes on their roster with the return, in addition to having a ton of cap room freed up. In the event that this squad does truly surprise in the opening round, there will be a plethora of trade rumors involving the 26-year-old this summer.