"I'm not interested in re-litigating the past, but it's impossible to look at their current struggles without recognizing the connection to his departure. Marner was everywhere: gobbling up points, getting it to Auston Matthews, entering zones, power play, penalty-kill, defending leads and a huge part of the off-ice social construct. They are still adjusting, and if the first six weeks taught us anything, it's that this may take much longer than everyone hoped," writes Friedman."
"This is also the first year that the Leafs are without Mitch Marner. After nearly 10 years with the team, Marner was set to hit free agency and the expectation was that he was very much going to leave Toronto. That ultimately happened, as he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, and signed an eight-year, $96 million contract. Even with Marner's absence, the Leafs were still expected to be a top team in the Atlantic, but thus far, that hasn't transpired."
The Toronto Maple Leafs ended a five-game losing streak with an overtime win over the St. Louis Blues but remain 9-9-2 for 20 points through 20 games and sit seventh in the Atlantic Division. Preseason expectations projected the team as a firm playoff contender, so current results are a disappointing start. This season is the first without Mitch Marner after his trade to the Vegas Golden Knights and an eight-year, $96 million contract. Marner's absence has been connected to offensive and defensive gaps because he provided scoring, playmaking for Auston Matthews, zone entries, special-teams contributions and a significant off-ice social role. The team is still adjusting and may require more time than initially hoped to recover.
Read at Editor In Leaf
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