After nine great years of donning the blue and white for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs, Mitch Marner felt the grass would be greener elsewhere, specifically in Las Vegas, where he bolted for this summer as a free agent.
Expectations were for Marner to fit in seamlessly on a star-studded Golden Knights team that centered around Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, allowing him to go about his business without constantly being in the spotlight.
That appeared to be the case through 15 games, as Marner racked up 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) and looked to be finding his groove out west. However, it’s been a struggle in the nine games since, and Marner’s four points (four assists) in that span have led to Golden Knights’ fans already starting to voice some frustrations, urging their $12 million man to step up.
“You know what I was just thinking…Wouldn’t it be nice if the winger they paid $12 million to in the offseason hopped over the boards, took over for a shift, and single-handedly willed his team to a goal?”
The 28-year-old was, of course, dealt to Vegas back in June in a sign-and-trade that sent Nicholas Roy to Toronto before he ultimately inked an eight-year, $96 million deal with the Golden Knights.
Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews Both Missing Each Other?
While Marner is starting to feel the difficulties of transitioning to a new team, his old partner, Auston Matthews, has been dealing with a similar struggle sans his set-up man in Toronto.
Mitch Marner Auston Matthews
Matthews has just 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in the 19 games he’s played this season, and has received criticism himself for his lack of production and overall performance not resembling the superstar that he’s expected and paid to be.
These are two of the most talented players in hockey, so it’s quite likely they’ll both turn things around and be over a point-per-game contributors come the end of the year. That being said, it’s interesting to see the challenges that both Marner and Matthews have had to juggle early on in their first season apart in the NHL.
We’ll still have to wait a bit longer to see the two square off for the first time, as the Maple Leafs visit the Golden Knights during a western road trip in mid-January, which will soon be followed up by Marner’s much-anticipated return to Toronto on January 23rd.
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