Mitch Marner shone in the 4 Nations Face-Off, scoring the overtime goal in Team Canada's first game of the tournament against Team Sweden, as well as primary assists on the game-tying and overtime goals in the final against Team USA.
With these performances, he showed that he's ready to step up in the big moments-something he has been struggling to do in the playoffs with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In comparison, Auston Matthews may have recorded two assists in the game as well, but Connor McDavid's overtime goal was a result of his mistake, as he failed to cover him in front of USA's net.
Marner, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, brings a unique skill set to the Toronto Maple Leafs. That's why Bob McKenzie, TSN's insider, believes the Leafs' general manager, Brad Treliving, should sign him.
Here's what he said in a recent interview:
However, he added that he doesn't think it will happen and stated that Marner is much more likely to end up in free agency, a scenario that the Leafs understand.
In his own words:
Depending on your opinion of Marner, this could be good or bad news, but on paper, it would be a big loss for the Maple Leafs.
After all, Marner, 27, has scored 710 points in 632 regular-season games with the Leafs and added 50 points in 57 playoff games.
POLL | ||
FEVRIER 24 | 325 ANSWERS TSN Insider Shares A Concerning Update On Mitch Marner's Future With the Toronto Maple Leafs Do you think the Toronto Maple Leafs will lose Mitch Marner to free agency next summer? | ||
Yes | 215 | 66.2 % |
No | 110 | 33.8 % |
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