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"Can't put a whole series on one guy": Ryan Reaves defends embattled teammate Mitch Marner on playoff underperformance
Toronto Maoke Leafs right winger Ryan Reaves spoke up for his teammate Mitch Marner during his appearance on episode 526 of Spittin’ Chiclets. They discussed Marner’s performance in last year’s playoffs, where he scored only three points in seven games.
Reaves shared his own struggles at the start of the season. He pointed out that when players do not perform well, fans and the media can be critical. He called it unfair to blame one player for a whole series.
[2:30:35] "I didn't think it was fair at all. Can't put a whole playoff series on one guy," Reaves said. "It's not like he was horrible you know the points just weren't coming for him. You know that happens, but you win as a team, you lose as a team.
"You guys know that, you can't just can't point the finger at one guy. I felt bad for him (Marner), everybody was jumping on him, business jumping on him. You know if I was around I would have slapped the sh*t out of you but that's just how it is."
Marner had a good regular season. He scored 26 goals and had 59 assists for 85 points in the 2023-24 season. Since he joined the league, he has earned 639 points in 576 games.
Mitch Marner's strategy for the 2024-25 situation amid contact uncertainty
Mitch Marner is in the last year of his six-year contract signed on Sep 13 2019 with an annual cap hit of $10,901,333.
Marner is eligible for an extension post-July 1st, but he wants to focus on the season instead of talking about contracts.
On September 19, during the season-opening media availability, Marner said, per Sportsnet.ca:
"I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here to talk about the season and getting going,"
Mitch Marner trained with stars like Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon in Vail, Colorado, during the summer. MacKinnon even publically said that Marner "stuck out as one of the best" during the workouts.
Mitch Marner had a good preseason, with two assists in an exhibition game. Marner hopes to improve and help the Leafs succeed in the playoffs this year.
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