Ten Reasons Maple Leafs’ Fans Are Mitch Marner Supporters

Two days ago, I asked this question on a couple of Toronto Maple Leafs’ posts: “The Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner has come under criticism since his poor playoff production – is he worth the salary he’s paid?”

The answer to this question generated lots of responses, actually on both sides of the question. And, that’s no surprise because, after his great regular season but his poorer playoff production, Marner is quite a polarizing player. He has generated a lot of critics; however, he’s also generated a large number of fans who’ve stuck with him.

In this post, I want share what his fans are saying in support of the 24-year-old 1st NHL All-Star Team Right-Winger.

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A List of Ten Reasons Maple Leafs’ Fans Support Mitch Marner

Here are some of the answers fans gave to that question of whether he was worth his salary. [As a note, I’m using the fans’ words in their context. That means I didn’t fact check to see if they were correct. My sense was that, even if the facts might be incorrect, even that is an indication of the fans appreciation for Marner.]

In no particular order, fans who answered that Marner was “worth every penny” then went on to offer these ten reasons why.

Reason #1: Playoff Performance Over the Seasons

Even given Marner’s poor playoff performance, he’s still the Maple Leafs top playoff point scorer since 2015.

Reason #2: Huge TOI and Penalty Killing

Marner plays more than 23 min a game; and, part of that time is the team’s #1 penalty-killing forward. Most elite players don’t play on the penalty kill and also get as many points as Marner generates.

Reason #3: Number of Primary Assists

Over the last three seasons, Marner’s scored more primary assists than anyone not named Connor McDavid.

Reason #4: Marner Plays Tough Defense and Blocks Shots

Marner’s made a number of highlight reels for his strong defensive plays. He’s blocking shots and back-checking hard.

Reason #5: If Marner Played Poorly, It Wasn’t All His Fault

If Marner’s play suffered, it was because his coach burned him out by playing him over 23 minutes per games, every second night, with heavy five-on-five hockey. Unlike the fan who noted Marner’s prowess on the penalty kill, this fan believed there was no reason to play him on penalty kill.

Reason #6: Marner Must Be Good, He’s Recognized by the NHL and Media

One fan deferred to what the league and the media felt about Marner, noting that he was just named a first-team all star.

Reason #7: Marner Didn’t Play Poorly, His Teammates Didn’t Help Him

Another fan actually disputed that Marner played poorly during the playoffs and suggested that Marner set up his teammates with as many or more scoring chances in the playoffs as he did in the regular season. However, the fan noted that this happened during a time when the Montreal Canadiens’ two top defensemen were in charge of shutting him down. The fan noted that these same players also shut down the other teams’ big guns all throughout the playoffs.

Reason #8: Marner’s a Complete Player

This fan simply noted that Marner was the team’s most consistent player, and one of their best if not the best penalty killer they have.

Reason #9: Don’t Blame Marner for the Team’s Lack of Success

One fan simply noted that, even if everyone else questioned Marner’s talent and skill, he thought Marner was not responsible for the team losing during the playoffs. Instead, this fan believed Marner was a great player and worth keeping. In fact, rather than blame him, those fans who were critics should look at the team as a whole. Marner’s only one player. And, it’s a team game.

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Reason #10: Marner’s Critics Don’t Have the Resume to Critique Him

One fan simply asked those who were critical to let him know what team they played for as well as their name and number. His point was that the critics simply didn’t have the background to be too critical because they hadn’t walked a mile in Marner’s shoes.

Summary

Mitch Marner has supports among Maple Leafs’ fans. Fans agreed that the last few games of the playoffs were disappointing; however, one fan put it this way: a large number of Maple Leafs’ players gave their all and played hard – Marner was one of them. Don’t jump off the team’s wagon now after this season.