2 Things Could Be True About Marner’s Playoff History – Hockey Writers – Vegas Golden Knights

After nine regular seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and an equal number of disappointing playoff appearances, Mitch Marner has moved on to what he hopes will be greener pastures in Vegas. So far, it has worked as planned.

The Vegas Golden Knights advance to Round 2 against the Anaheim Ducks, 3-2, after knocking off the Utah Mammoth in six games in Round 1, thanks in large part to Marner’s two-goal, three-point night in Game 6 to send him to just the second round of his career.

“Yeah, it was his best game of the series,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “Mitchy has been doing a lot of little things that people don’t understand, little plays, but he had big plays tonight that everyone saw.”

The simple truth is that Marner has been the best player to wear gold so far this postseason, and on other nights, there was no argument at all. Through 11 games, Marner has six goals and 16 points, both career highs in the postseason.

Another fact, which has been the topic of conversation in Toronto and Vegas, is that he has never reached the event as he did this year in the big spots in the playoffs for the Maple Leafs. Because of his recent success, there seems to be a kind of forgetfulness about the past nine years. As fans and media have been talking and writing legends about the past, this season proves that this player has always been there.

The truth is that both of these things can be, and are, true. And that’s fine.

The Truth About Marner in Toronto

From 2017 to 2025, Marner played in 70 playoff games for the Maple Leafs. Up top, his production was great, accumulating 13 goals and 63 points. However, it is when he made those points that got everyone in Toronto excited. Going 1-4 in his nine playoffs north of the border, Marner had eight goals and 35 points in 28 games. At 5-7, he had just six assists in 14 games, including just one assist in the final three games of last year’s Round 2 loss to the Florida Panthers in a seven-game loss to the Maple Leafs.

No one in Toronto blames Marner and Marner alone for the lack of success for the Maple Leafs come playoff time. It was a team effort, or lack thereof. We can bring up the stats of Auston Matthews and William Nylander, and they will tell the same story. The Maple Leafs as a whole just couldn’t get the job done when the moments mattered most. When the lights got brighter. That’s just the truth. To be more specific, Games 5 and 7 against the Panthers last spring were two of the worst playoff games we’ve seen in Marner’s tenure, and both were in Toronto.

Tortorella defends Marner

That’s why, when Tortorella stuck with his player after Game 3 in Anaheim, the conversation was taken to another level.

“(Marner) has a lot of confidence in what he brings,” Tortorella said after Game 3. “You know, people give him (things) all the time about the playoffs and this and that, and I don’t think he minds the licks. He’s just playing. He’s a hockey player, and I’m glad he’s doing some things for us.”

“Guys, you don’t see the things he does,” said Tortorella the next day. “The people here, the people in Toronto, all the people talking about this guy, they don’t see anything coming into the game if he doesn’t score. I know it’s coaching against him.”

“That narrative is a bunch of bull****. Like I said last night, Mitch doesn’t care. Mitch is a great player, one of the best players in the league and he plays for us.”

Listen, I have a lot of respect for Tortorella, and I know I’ve never been behind the scenes with Marner, but none of that is true, and I have to believe that Tortorella knows that. We all know how good Marner can be, even if he doesn’t score. Whether it’s on defense, on the penalty kill, or creating for his teammates, Marner is one of the best and most efficient wings in the NHL. The problem is, he never did that during the series nominations in Toronto, and neither did anyone else. That narrative is not bull-bleep.

Now, Tortorella saying “Mitch doesn’t care” is another thing that has cast a negative light on Marner’s time in Toronto. Also, I’m not with Marner if no one is, but it was reported and it’s clear he cared, and it bothered him to “lick it”. Maybe he is a bigger man than me, but it will bother me too. There is no shame in it. We’re all human, and the media and fans really bullied Marner. I’d like to maybe go to Vegas, too.

The Truth About Marner in Vegas

To put it simply, Marner has been one of, if not the best, player for the Golden Knights this spring. In 11 games, he has been caught only three times, and two of them ended up being lost.

In Game 1 against the Ducks, the Golden Knights took eight penalties in the first half of the first half, and shut down the Ducks’ nearly unstoppable run in the first round. There were times when Marner was the most notable player on the ice for any team.

Heading into Game 3, the Ducks were the better team in both games, while the Golden Knights were lucky to tie 1-1. In Game 3, Vegas beat Anaheim 6-2, and Marner led the way with four points, including a hat trick.

In five games against the Mammoths, the Golden Knights had been on fire almost the entire series and were somewhat fortunate to be up 3-2 heading into Game 6. However, after Utah had given Vegas all it could handle up to that point, the Golden Knights won 5-1, and Marner’s game ended with his greatest series performance of his career.

The Golden Knights have a chance to punch their ticket to the Western Conference finals on Thursday night, and there’s a good chance they wouldn’t be in this position if it weren’t for Marner.

Both Things Are True, and That’s OK

The point of this article is not to highlight all the bad news surrounding Marner and his time in Toronto. Marner was a wonderful Maple Leaf. One of the best and most productive in franchise history. Whether it’s clickbait or people who don’t really believe it, there are a lot of people who, because of Marner’s production this spring, point to the media and Toronto fans as the problem. I mean, we can definitely add to the problem, sure, but Marner’s playoff narrative in Toronto passes both the eye test and the math test. It is what it is. And like I said, he wasn’t the only one. Every star player on the Maple Leafs is guilty.

But, at the same time, Marner had a strong breakout season for the Golden Knights. Some people have told you that, during his time in Toronto, the Maple Leafs almost always played Stanley Cup contenders in the crowded Atlantic Division, and that the competition he has faced so far this postseason has given him a very easy path. I understand that argument, and I guess I can’t really back down, except for the fact that this is the NHL, and nothing is a cake walk.

Also, the Golden Knights haven’t been that good this season, at least not by their standards. It certainly wasn’t the Maple Leafs from 2024-25. Playoff success wasn’t guaranteed for Vegas this year, despite playing what some would call inferior opponents.

Marner had many postseason struggles in Toronto. He also had a spring in Vegas. Both of these things can be true, and that’s okay.