Mitch Marner was not forced out of Toronto; he made the decision to leave. After nine seasons with the Maple Leafs and 11 playoff series, he rarely made a significant impact when it mattered most. That had nothing to do with fans, media, or atmosphere, but everything to do with his own performance and his team's inability to deliver in the postseason.
Marner never scored more than two goals in any single playoff round with Toronto, and never more than two goals in any single playoff game. He clearly needed a fresh start in Vegas to put the past behind him. In the 11 playoff rounds he played with the Leafs, he scored one goal or fewer in five of those rounds, and no goals in two of them. Against the Montreal Canadiens, in the worst playoff defeat of the Brendan Shanahan era, he was held scoreless.
To be fair, the Maple Leafs never faced teams like Utah or Anaheim in the postseason; they usually drew Florida, Tampa Bay, or Boston—teams averaging over 105 points per season. Utah and Anaheim, both young and quick, had 92 points in the Western Conference this year, which would not have qualified for playoffs in the East. The quality of opponent Marner faced with Vegas was not what he had experienced in Toronto.
Marner moved back to the wing and scored three goals Friday night against the Ducks, playing on an unlikely line with workers William Karlsson and Brett Howden. It was his first career playoff hat trick. It helps whom you are playing with, and whom you are playing for, and it helps when you are playing against a lesser team. Marner had a reasonable season in his first with the Golden Knights, finishing 25th in NHL scoring, well below previous levels. But this is why they got him: to be a difference-maker when he was not one before. His Maple Leaf playoff curse has ended. He currently leads all playoff scorers. The past he went West to get away from is now just the past. The next round will be fascinating, likely Colorado versus Vegas, with the winner heading to the Stanley Cup final. It will be interesting to see what Marner does when the level of opposition increases exponentially.
This and That
Is Auston Matthews still a Top 10 player in the NHL? It depends on your math, your eyesight, your perspective. Begin the Top 10 with Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Nikita Kucherov, and Leon Draisaitl as obvious choices. Then add Macklin Celebrini, Quinn Hughes, and David Pastrnak to get to eight. After that, maybe Jack Eichel or Matthew Schaefer. That leaves out Nick Suzuki, Sidney Crosby, Sasha Barkov (who missed the season), and Kirill Kaprizov. Where does Matthews fit? He has scored 60 goals twice, won a Hart Trophy, and finished second once. He was clearly a Top 10 player when scoring elite numbers, but now maybe he is Top 15 with the second-highest salary in the game, making a trade more complicated if that is what he wants.
If the hockey world did not have enough reasons to hate the Leafs, their winning the NHL draft lottery did not help their popularity. It is an awful blow for the Vancouver Canucks, who had the worst record and have never picked first in the draft. Vancouver has not stopped grousing about losing out on Gilbert Perreault in 1970. This is the third time the Leafs will pick first. The other times, they drafted Wendel Clark and later Matthews. This year, the choice looks to be Gavin McKenna, the speedy winger from Yukon. The last three players picked first—Schaefer, Celebrini, and Connor Bedard—have been spectacular game-changers. The three before that—Juraj Slafkovsky, Owen Power, and Alexis Lafreniere—are still finding their way. Scouts say McKenna is nowhere near the Schaefer-Celebrini class but likely better than Power and Lafreniere. What happens if McKenna develops slowly, like Slafkovsky or Lanny McDonald? How will a fishbowl without patience react?
McKenna has Marner-like vision and creativity and a goal scorer's shot, but he does not yet have Marner's overall game comprehension or defensive acumen. The fact he led Penn State in scoring at age 17, playing mostly against older opponents, is impressive. The likely second pick, Ivar Stenberg, is also a teenager who played against veterans in the Swedish Hockey League, which is a great learning experience but not a league with much talent.
A high-level player agent offered the perfect question to ask Mats Sundin at his news conference: 'Could you name five players on the Utah Mammoth?' If he could not, what is he doing in an upper-management role? The first major decision for new GM John Chayka is what to do with coach Craig Berube. Chayka is the data-driven boss Keith Pelley demanded. Does Chayka keep Berube, whose numbers were atrocious in almost every meaningful way this season? What matters more: the numbers or the dollars to let Berube go?
Hear and There
Is Scottie Barnes a Top 10 player in the NBA? If not, he is getting close. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic are clearly the top two, and Victor Wembanyama is right there. That is the top three. Then Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Edwards, Kawhi Leonard, and Luka Doncic bring it to seven. Then figure out LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant. Maybe they are still there, maybe slipping. Cade Cunningham, who leads the playoffs in scoring, should be Top 10, as should Jalen Brunson. That leaves Barnes, the Raptors superstar, probably just out of the Top 10. But unlike Matthews, Barnes is trending in the right direction. The Raptors have not had an elite player since Kawhi Leonard or Vince Carter.
How much has the Blue Jays offence changed? They were first in on-base percentage last season, last this season. They were second in runs scored, now 14th. Second in OPS in their pennant-winning season, now 13th. Walks and slugging dropped from third overall to last and 12th. The statistical drops are extreme. It does not help that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has no home runs in his past 16 games and is hitting a quiet .314. The Yankees waited until the 363rd pick in the 2021 draft to select Ben Rice, now one of baseball's best young hitters, with an OPS leading the AL at 1.174.
Scene and Heard
Sad to learn of the passing of Bobby Cox, a transformational figure in Blue Jays history. When he took over as manager in 1982, the team had never won more than 67 games. In his four years, they won 78, 89, 89, and 99 wins before he left to become GM of the Atlanta Braves. He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. Six words to remember John Sterling: 'The Yankees win, the Yankees win.' Mark Shapiro, not the Blue Jays guy, is being paid $43 million a year as president of TKO Holdings, which owns WWE and UFC.
Good for Evan Bouchard, agreeing to play for Team Canada in Switzerland after not being chosen for the Olympic team, getting knocked out of the playoffs early, and not being a Norris Trophy finalist. He clearly wants to change his personal narrative. The third-year PWHL does not make many mistakes, but bypassing Quebec City for expansion and likely going to Hamilton seems foolish. Hamilton has a poor history with pro hockey; Quebec City is dying to get a pro team.
And Another Thing
Thrilled to be in attendance for the Tempo's first regular-season WNBA game in Toronto. The crowd was as much a part of the show as the game. Personally, I have now been at the Blue Jays' first game, the Raptors' first game, the Leafs' last game at Maple Leaf Gardens, and first game at the Air Canada Centre. It feels special to witness these pieces of Toronto sporting history. The Tempo is charging major league bucks and needs adjustments: the lighting and sound system at Coca-Cola Coliseum are not very good. Of all the celebrities introduced, the largest applause came for retired Canadian soccer legend Christine Sinclair.
Canada has SGA and Steve Nash as fabulous representatives of basketball, but no female basketball player of international acclaim yet. Advice from one of the best bosses I ever had: It is better to write the story than be the story. Heading into Saturday night, the Carolina Hurricanes played seven playoff games, won all seven, and allowed just eight goals. Don Mattingly is 8-3 since taking over as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. Embarrassing yourself, your team, and your league is not a good look for Dylan Smoskowitz or any young coach. An established NHL GM said, 'He tried to recover, but the damage was done.'
It is easy to take Wayne Gretzky for granted. Four of the Top 10 goal-scoring seasons in NHL history were his. The others: Brett Hull, Mario Lemieux, Phil Esposito, Alex Mogilny, Jari Kurri, and Teemu Selanne. When it comes to playmaking, nine of the Top 10 assist seasons were Gretzky's, extendable to 11 of the 12 best. McDavid and Kucherov, each with one 100-assist season, are tied for 14th all-time. The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs—especially Montreal-Tampa Bay, Philadelphia-Pittsburgh, and Minnesota-Dallas—was exceptional. The second round, so far, not so compelling.
Happy birthday to Shawn O'Sullivan (64), Steve Yzerman (61), Alex Tuch (30), Calvin Murphy (78), Jamison Battle (25), Jerome Williams (53), Doug Christie (56), Prince Fielder (42), Cade Smith (27), Tito Santana (73), and Tony Twist (58). And hey, whatever became of Brooks Orpik?
