Spencer Carbery says he partially owes his Capitals head coaching job to Mitch Marner

""The two years that I spent [in Toronto], I owe a lot [to him]," Carbery told ESPN's Arda Ocal and Greg Wyshynski on an episode of "The Drop" podcast released Monday. "I told [Marner] this after getting the job in Washington, I owe a lot to him as to why I'm an NHL head coach." Carbery was an assistant coach with Toronto from 2021-23, running the club's power play which Marner featured heavily on."

"The Maple Leafs were the NHL's best at scoring on the man-advantage in his first year (27.3 percent) and finished behind only the Edmonton Oilers the following season (26.0 percent). Marner assisted on 46 of the team's 127 power play tallies and scored 15 himself in those years. "He did some things that you just can't coach. You can't teach," Carbery praised. "It's his individual talent.""

"The 43-year-old bench boss won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year last season with the Eastern Conference-leading Caps and won 91 regular season games in his first two seasons at the helm, a club record. Marner has since departed Toronto, signing an eight-year, $96 million contract with the Vegas Golden Knights as part of a sign-and-trade deal in late June. Carbery believes Marner will "be fantastic" with his new team, but acknowledged the way his tenure with Toronto ended was unfortunate. Marner was the target of much online criticism and threats from fans unhappy about the team's consistent playoff shortcomings."

Spencer Carbery credits Mitch Marner's play and individual talent as a significant factor in his path to becoming an NHL head coach. Carbery served as an assistant coach with Toronto from 2021-23 and ran the club's power play during that time. The Maple Leafs led the league in power-play scoring in Carbery's first year and ranked second the next season, with Marner contributing heavily to those totals. Carbery won the Jack Adams Award with the Washington Capitals and set a club record for wins in his first two seasons. Marner left Toronto for an eight-year, $96 million deal with the Vegas Golden Knights after enduring online criticism and threats in Toronto despite strong regular-season production.

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