Mitch Marner and the Vegas Golden Knights Find Playoff Success

The Vegas Golden Knights and Mitch Marner are one win away from punching their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals. After a 4-3 comeback win against the Colorado Avalanche, the Knights seem poised to be the odds-on favorites to win the Stanley Cup, and deservedly so. With veteran leadership surrounding him, Mitch Marner has taken his game to an all-new level, something Leafs fans always knew was possible.

While many will look at Marner’s success as an opportunity for some sort of ‘gotcha’ moment against Leafs Nation, the reality is that Toronto fans were so frustrated precisely because they knew he possessed these exact abilities. Leafs fans always knew Marner was supremely skilled; the question was whether he wanted it enough while wearing the blue and white. After years of playoff failures in Toronto, it appears something in the desert has finally clicked.

After last night’s victory, Mitch Marner spoke with the media about the team’s comeback win and gave a rather interesting answer.

Revisiting Marner's Playoff Frustrations in Toronto

Now, maybe Marner didn’t mean this as a slight to his former team, or maybe he did. The fact of the matter is, if Mitch has evolved into the player he is now, all credit to him. However, it’s hard for anyone who watched him night in and night out to take that newfound stoicism seriously when you consider everything that happened during his time in Toronto. Even as recently as last year's playoffs, Mitch stood on the bench with his hair as dry as could be and yelled an expletive at his teammates while playing one of the worst games of his postseason career.

We can also go back to the year before, when Mitch engaged in a heated conversation with William Nylander and Auston Matthews on the bench. While Marner was upset about the state of officiating, he had to be told by his core teammates to stop complaining. Marner handled that incredibly well by slamming his gloves on the ground in front of the team’s trainer, once again showing off that "calm" composure.

Or you can flashback to when the Maple Leafs played against the Montreal Canadiens, and Marner took his annual puck-over-glass delay of game penalty in a pivotal moment. Sitting in the box, Marner was overcome by emotions, clearly frustrated with himself as the team spiraled toward what would eventually be another collapse and series loss.

Why the Maple Leafs and Marner Partnership Failed

The point in all of this, which shouldn’t be overlooked regardless of how people want to spin the narrative with their anti-Toronto bias, is that the truth is actually a lot less juicy. For Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs, this partnership was just never going to work long-term. Marner was never going to find this extra gear in Toronto because the lights were simply too bright. The pressure of being the hometown hero was a cross Marner was never prepared to bear. Being surrounded by friends and family at every turn wasn’t going to magically equate to becoming a champion.

Now, admittedly, the Maple Leafs absolutely bungled the Marner situation at the end. Allowing the forward to basically shop for homes for two seasons, speak extensively to members of the Golden Knights, and practically cement his spot in the Vegas lineup while still under Toronto's umbrella was a massive failure. The Maple Leafs' major mistake wasn’t letting Marner go; it was waiting too long to cut the rope. It was obvious to almost everyone on the outside that things had reached a toxic boiling point. Everyone but the previous Maple Leafs management saw it.

Moving Forward Under John Chayka

So don’t look at Mitch Marner or the Vegas Golden Knights’ success and think it has any ripple effect on the current Maple Leafs. Those two things are mutually exclusive. The Maple Leafs didn’t make a mistake letting Mitch Marner walk, and there should be zero remorse in the fanbase. Now, with a new management group in place under GM John Chayka, the Leafs need to look forward. They must learn from the hesitation of the previous regime and accept the harsh reality that in the NHL, not every hometown feel good story gets the happy ending everyone hoped for.