Leafs' Mitch Marner responds to whether he's "playing the best hockey" of his career amid Auston Matthews' absence

By Nestor Quixtan

Modified Nov 21, 2024 02:49 GMT

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner has been arguably playing some of his best hockey over the last three weeks.

Marner joined the Sportsnet panel ahead of the Leafs’ game versus the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night. During the pre-game interview, the panel asked Marner to assess his play since Auston Matthews was sidelined with an undisclosed upper-body injury on Nov. 3.

The interviewer, David Amber, asked Marner about having five multi-point games in his last six:

"Is it fair to say it's the best hockey you've played in your career?"

Marner replied:

“Maybe, tough to say. Go out there, do my thing, have fun.”

“Go out there, bring wins to this team. Hopefully, I’ve been able to help out in that category.”

Marner has certainly helped his team out. In his last five games, Marner has registered eight points (four goals, four assists). He’s become the de facto leader in Matthews’ absence, leading the Leafs at both ends of the ice.

Entering this season, there was a lot of speculation regarding Marner’s impending free agency. Thus far, Marner has risen to the occasion. He leads the team with 24 points in 19 games and only looks to be getting stronger.

With injuries mounting, the Leafs are counting on Marner to continue the success he’s had over the last few games.

Mitch Marner ready to play anywhere

Another issue the panel brought up was the recent rash of injuries affecting the Leafs. Specifically, the panel referenced coach Craig Berube’s comments about playing Marner at every position.

While the lighthearted comments highlighted the severity of the Leafs’ injury situation, Marner said:

“Just ready for the situation. We’ve talked, me and Chief, you know, we’ll figure it out throughout the game,” Marner added, “We’ll see what happens throughout the game, just try to do what I do out there like I said, help this team win games, whatever situation it is.”

Marner has been a valuable contributor on both sides of the puck. Offensively, he’s teamed up with John Tavares and Bobby McMann on the top line. Defensively, Marner has been instrumental in turning the Leafs’ penalty kill around.

Lastly, the panel asked Mitch Marner what he enjoyed most about the game. Marner talked about his enjoyment of spending time with his teammates. He highlighted how much he liked the fun atmosphere in the locker room.

As it stands, the Leafs are in a great position to continue climbing up the standings in the Atlantic Division.