Toronto Maple Leafs: Mitch Marner Trying To Snap Sophomore Slump

The Toronto Maple Leafs strong start has helped overshadow Mitch Marner’s sophomore slump. But it’s one he has to get out of.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner is trying to snap out of a sophomore slump after electrifying the league with his speed and playmaking last season. As a rookie, Marner scored 19 goals and 42 assists for 61 points while completing his first season with an even plus/minus rating.

The winger routinely showed off his excellent skating ability and on-ice vision while always seeming to be a threat to produce points in the offensive zone. At times, Marner would completely take over the play, drawing in defenders with his puck possession, before finding wide open teammates for scoring chances.

Fast forward to his sophomore season and Marner hasn’t looked like the same player he was as a rookie. There have been flashes of his speed and playmaking but there hasn’t been the same consistency of always being an offensive threat.

Marner had a great start to his 2017-18 season scoring three points in two games but that’s where the offense seemed to dry up. In the following six games, Marner only managed a single assist. To make matters worse, Marner hasn’t finished a single game this season as a plus-player and currently sits last on the Maple Leafs with a minus-eight rating.

As a result of his struggles, Marner was placed on the fourth line after Toronto’s fifth game of the season.

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One of the many sophomores on the Maple Leafs was bound to struggle this season. In fact, one of Connor Brown, William Nylander, Auston Matthews, Zach Hyman, and Nikita Zaitsev will likely go through their own struggles this year. When the team possesses six sophomore players, it’s impossible for everyone to be firing on all cylinders at the same time. Marner just seems to be taking his turn to struggle at the start of the season compared to at another point of the year.

The good news for the Maple Leafs is if the team’s recent 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings is any indication it’s that Marner could be on the verge of shaking off his slump. The talented winger managed two assists in the victory while also scoring a disallowed goal due to goaltender interference.

What makes Marner’s performance against the Kings so impressive was he looked like the same player he was as a rookie. He used his speed to break away from defenders, his puck control to take over portions of the game, and his playmaking ability to set up teammates for scoring opportunities.

Marner’s first assist came after playing keep away from Kings defenders before being directly responsible for getting Roman Polak and Matt Martin a point each. Two players about as far away from offensive players as you can find on the Maple Leafs.

It’s a tough task trying to break out of an offensive slump while playing fourth-line minutes and playing with fourth-line players. There’s no doubt Marner would have a greater chance to produce offensively by playing on one of Toronto’s other three lines and he’ll return to one eventually.

However, for now , oach Mike Babcock seems content with playing Marner on the fourth-line given his team has a 7-2 record to start the season. There’s no urgency to bump him up the lineup because the team continues to win.

This situation isn’t unlike what Nylander endured last year, where he went from being Matthews’ top-line winger to fourth liner as well. Babcock wanted more defensive consistency out of Nylander and he got it as the winger responded and hasn’t left Matthews’ side ever since.

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Whether Marner’s best game of the season against the Kings is good enough to remove him from the fourth line remains to be seen. Either way, after watching the same thing happen to Nylander a season ago Marner should know he’s going to be just fine. After all, anyone who can skate circles around the Kings and set up Martin and Polak for points deserves better offensive talent to work with.

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