Eastern Conference First Round: (2) Boston Bruins vs (3) Toronto Maple Leafs

[Locke]

I don't see how they get a top dman for Marner at this point. Maybe a potential top d +. Nemec + for Marner?

[GinFizz]

Why do that to Bedard.. He has a bright future ahead of him, dont sink him with that anchor.

[rataylor22]

On the dump in thing, Pastrnak’s goal in game 4 (3?) was the same play, and the Bruins had tried that play multiple times this series. So you can blame Marner or you can blame Keefe, but it ~should~ have been coached that the winger has to slow that guy up. If someone like Jack Han can identify it on pre- and in-series scouting, I can’t imagine the Leafs staff didn’t identify it. Yes it was a perfect dump in on this particular play, but it had been tried multiple times and even with a perfect dump in there are still ways to disrupt the play.

I don't see how they get a top dman for Marner at this point. Maybe a potential top d +. Nemec + for Marner?

Toronto isn’t getting Nemec (or a player of similar quality) straight up for Marner, let alone +.

[Feenom]

Marner will be too expensive to keep and too cheap to deal(meaning the return will be underwhelming).Who would want a guy making 12+ million per year who disappears in the playoffs? The league knows what kind of player he is, a good regular season guy with no idea what to do when the post season comes. Deal him to a perennial non playoff team, take the pressure off Mitch. After this year don’t re-sign JT unless it’s under $6M. Let Keefe, Shanny and Sammy go plus a few others. But this guarantees absolutely nothing.

[Invictus]

The Maple Leafs were 1-for-21 on the power play (4.8 percent) in the series. That's... Boucher's responsibility/fail.

[2014olympicgold]

The Maple Leafs were 1-for-21 on the power play (4.8 percent) in the series. That's... Boucher's responsibility/fail.

How that guy even got hired for a PP is insane let alone continued to be the PP coach past the end of March. Then how he wasn't fired by firing squad after game 3 period 1 at center ice is beyond me

[random-d]

Marner will be too expensive to keep and too cheap to deal(meaning the return will be underwhelming).Who would want a guy making 12+ million per year who disappears in the playoffs? The league knows what kind of player he is, a good regular season guy with no idea what to do when the post season comes. Deal him to a perennial non playoff team, take the pressure off Mitch. After this year don’t re-sign JT unless it’s under $6M. Let Keefe, Shanny and Sammy go plus a few others. But this guarantees absolutely nothing.

Please stop with this narrative. THE WHOLE TEAM disappears in the playoffs. Scapegoating is too easy to be the right answer.

[dejeanneret]

Pasta also ripped by the two d-man as well. Not really on Marner there.
And there was some other forward there too. Willy???
Nylander wasn't great in the playoffs at the start (I mean several years ago), but has really started to shine these last two years.

"When teams play the Leafs, they set up the game for the Leafs to beat themselves."
Gotta say this is an all-time quote...

Every pro analyst I've heard has said this exact same thing. That is, Pastrnak was not Marner's man there; he was D's responsibility to cover in that scheme. Maybe some other pro analysts have disagreed. I just haven't heard them if so.

[rataylor22]

Please stop with this narrative. THE WHOLE TEAM disappears in the playoffs. Scapegoating is too easy to be the right answer.

It doesn’t matter who’s to blame, it matters that Marner is the one being talked about/traded. Whether or not other players show up or disappear in the playoffs doesn’t affect Marner’s trade value. Marner disappearing in the playoffs does however affect his trade value.

Every pro analyst I've heard has said this exact same thing. That is, Pastrnak was not Marner's man there; he was D's responsibility to cover in that scheme. Maybe some other pro analysts have disagreed. I just haven't heard them if so.

Jack Han has worked for the Leafs, specifically Sheldon Keefe as a systems scout, and publishes a hockey tactics book on all 32 teams every year, and was the first to point out that part of Marner’s responsibilities on this play is to disrupt Pastrnak’s speed and route.

[Daydream Nation]

I don't see how they get a top dman for Marner at this point. Maybe a potential top d +. Nemec + for Marner?

They won't especially considering wing is the least valuable position and that C and D are the most valuable. For possible landing locations for Marner, I think you have to look west and to a team that needs a star or who needs to make a splash. Seattle and Utah are great spots. Would Seattle do a Larson/Eberle or Schwartz? It's not sexy but it improves their blueline, gives them a top 6 wing, and then some cap space to improve depth. How about Schmaltz and/or Crouse as the basis in Utah? I suspect Utah would quickly give him the contract Marner wants. Seems like Marner and Zegras and/or Fowler could be the basis of something if Verbeek would be interested in Marner. Anaheim seems like a great match for Marner considering it's a market with little scrutiny. Just spitballing some ideas.

[RizzeeDizzee]

There are exactly eight active players who have a higher cumulative regular scoring rate than Marner. Here is how their scoring rates compare during the regular season versus during the playoffs.

Connor McDavid - Regular Season (1.522 points per game), Stanley Cup Playoffs (1.611), Percentage Difference (+5.8%)
Sidney Crosby - 1.252, 1,117, -10.8%
Nikita Kucherov - 1.204, 1.136, -5.6%
Leon Draisaitl - 1.182, 1.611, +36,3%
Artemi Panarin - 1.162, 0.806, -30.6%
Auston Matthews - 1.155, 0.872, -24.5%
Nathan MacKinnon - 1.137, 1.329, +16.9%
Evgeni Malkin - 1.132, 1.017, -10.1%

Mitch Marner - 1.109, 0.877, -20.9%

So more than half of the eight have done worse in the playoffs versus the regular season, and both Matthews and Panarin comparatively worse than Marner. I'm not trying to make excuses for Marner, but rather just offering some food for thought.

[random-d]

Toronto fans have wanted to throw Marner under the bus since before he even signed the contract. Now that they failed as a team against the weakest Boston team in the last 5 years they're desperately looking for low-hanging limbs to hang their frustrations on.

[2014olympicgold]

Toronto fans have wanted to throw Marner under the bus since before he even signed the contract. Now that they failed as a team against the weakest Boston team in the last 5 years they're desperately looking for low-hanging limbs to hang their frustrations on.

Well I think it's more a combination of a few things:
- Nylander + Matthews won't get blamed: Both weren't healthy, both had great seasons, and both are signed for multiple years
- JT: Played well regardless of the stat sheet. But didn't play to his pay. However, we know he's not being moved.
- Marner: Fanbase knows he didn't produce the last couple of playoffs regardless of his token points. But, know he's worth more than JT on the trade market. Then there was always this narrative of "Marner helps Matthews" then that went away when Domi was dishing Matthews. So it turned into "well, you better do something offensively".

I love Marner. I think he does more for the structure of this team than people thought. Him on the PP and PK are big pieces to this team. However, it's because of the 4 big contracts that make Marner so valuable to the team. The 3 others aren't playing the PK (effectively for Nylander). 2 of the 4 don't add speed (JT/Matthews). And the team as a whole aren't good passers, besides Marner (and Domi). So Marner on the PP with his passing and vision do a lot.

But he might be done with this. I'm ok with moving him if it helps the team. But I think this team does better if you have a different coach, and ESPECIALLY a different philosophy on the PP. Loading up PP1 is fine, but the Leafs didn't do ANYTHING really mid-season to shake it up and keep things fresh. If it comes down to signing Marner to the exact same deal (no raise), I'll take that and fire Keefe/Boucher and wait out JTs deal.

I just don't know what you could do to improve the team with moving Marner. Do you move him to Carolina and try and get Slavin and then extend him? Do you go after Chychrun? Dobson? Tough. Simplest move is change the coaching staff (which should have been done last yr).

[Feenom]

Toronto fans have wanted to throw Marner under the bus since before he even signed the contract. Now that they failed as a team against the weakest Boston team in the last 5 years they're desperately looking for low-hanging limbs to hang their frustrations on.

Sadly right now he’s the guy that should go. Who else? Nylander? AM? JT (1 more year)? Reilly? They need some cash to go out and get a good solid goalie, unless they believe Woll is that. If they do then they still need cash to round out the D corps. This core including Marner has failed. Time to move on.