With just three assists in his last seven games, the Maple Leafs hope a shifting of lines will help Marner get out of a funk.
With just three assists in his last seven games, the Maple Leafs hope a shifting of lines will help Marner get out of a funk.
Mitch Marner leads the Toronto Maple Leafs in even strength points this season (13) but outside of that the forward just hasn't looked like himself lately.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe shifted Marner down to the team's second line at practice on Monday in an effort to help ignite the team's offense. It came just a couple of days after Keefe was critical of Marner's play on the ice.
"There's no doubt Mitch hasn't found his groove yet," Keefe said of Marner before the team's 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.
Following Monday's practice, Marner assessed his play through 19 games.
"Yeah, obviously not as great as it usually it is and as I like it," Marner admitted. "Just got to make sure I’m staying patient out there and not trying to force anything and do what I do best and that’s bring high energy, bring good pace out there and when the puck gets into my hands trust my abilities to do things with it."
Moving Marner to the second line has become somewhat of an annual tradition for Keefe since he became coach of the Leafs in November of 2019. Over the last three seasons, in particular, Marner's move to the second line has occurred during a point of overall struggle with the team.
Last season, Marner was even benched for a shift in a game against the Anaheim Ducks in the opening month of the 2022-23 season. He eventually found his way out of a rut, set a franchise record points streak at 23 games and was also a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, handed out annually to the NHL's top defensive forward.
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"I’ve been in these spots before multiple times in my career so for me it’s making sure I’m relaxed, calm and steady out there, and just doing what I love," Marner explained.
Marner said he'll put his focus on breathing and staying focused while not letting emotion get him to a place where he'll spiral out of control. For the most part, the Thornhill, Ontario native has earned the benefit of the doubt with historically high production offensively with 574 points in 523 career NHL games and Keefe understands the pressure the player puts on himself.
"That's natural. It's because it cares," Keefe said. "He knows that he needs to be better. We're going to help them through it, you know, and talk with them, meet with them, working on some things on the ice I think he has to really focus on that can help him start to be Mitch Marner that we know.".
Marner has three assists in his last seven games and hasn't been the only player to struggle this season. Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving talked candidly about the team's inconsistent play through 19 games and acknowledged some defensive issues along with the team's middling goaltending thus far. But outside of William Nylander, the team's offense needs to improve and Marner has to be a part of the equation.
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