"Nobody wants to hear excuses" - NHL analyst opines Mitch Marner's heavy criticism after disappointing playoff series so far is warranted

By ARJUN B

Modified Apr 30, 2024 13:29 GMT

The Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in a precarious position, trailing the Boston Bruins 3-1 in their first-round playoff series after a disappointing 3-1 loss on Saturday night.

As the team faces the possibility of another early postseason exit, the spotlight has turned to star winger Mitch Marner, who has struggled mightily throughout the series.

NHL analyst and TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button, appearing on SC with Jay Onrait on Harvey's Hot Takes, shared his thoughts on whether Marner deserves to be the scapegoat for Toronto's woes.

Button addressed the heated exchange caught on camera between Marner, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander during the second intermission of Saturday's game, which ended with Marner throwing his gloves in frustration.

"First thing I'm going to say is go back to that episode on the bench and everybody has an opinion on it," Button said. "Okay, yes, maybe you would like to see that handled behind closed doors. But when something needs to be handled in the heat of the moment, you better handle it in the heat of the moment, and I think that's what they were trying to do there."

Button acknowledged that while the confrontation may have raised eyebrows, it's not uncommon for teammates to have heated moments on the bench.

"I've seen lots of arguments on the bench and I've seen lots of testy kind of confrontations between teammates, there's nothing wrong with that," he added.

However, Button did not mince words when it came to Marner's performance and the criticism he faced.

"Now, when it comes to Mitch Marner, what I would say is go back to earlier in the new year and Mitch Marner was talking about everybody was against them, everybody's trying to divide the Toronto Maple Leafs," Button said.

"When you're a top player in the National Hockey League, when you're a top player on your team, you are expected to deliver. Nobody wants to hear excuses, nobody wants to hear how you know outside people are trying to divide us."

Craig Button’s take on Mitch Marner's criticism

Craig Button emphasized that as one of the highest-paid players on the team, Mitch Marner is expected to produce, and any criticism he receives for failing to do so is warranted.

"You go out and play, that's the expectation and when you're one of the highest-paid players, whatever criticism you get for not producing is warranted. It's as simple as that. It goes with the territory, there's no escaping it, so if you ask me if it's fair, yeah it's fair." Button said.

The Maple Leafs need a win in Game 5 on Tuesday night in Boston to avoid elimination.