Mitch Marner is one of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ biggest stars, and the way he plays is crucial for the club’s success. After a strong 2022-23 season, the Maple Leafs are expecting Marner to build off of it. As a result, let’s go over three big expectations that the 26-year-old has heading into the new campaign.
Marner Needs to Hit the 100-Point Mark
In back-to-back seasons, Marner missed hitting the 100-point mark ever-so-slightly. In 2021-22, the 26-year-old had 35 goals to go along with 97 points in 72 games played. Then, this past season, he had 30 goals and 99 points in 80 games played. It is clear that Marner has the potential to reach 100 points in a season, and he will be looking to finally do that in 2023-24 because of it.
Marner is expected to play on Auston Matthews‘ wing this season and if both players stay healthy, there is a good chance that Marner will hit 100 points on the year. Both players will also need to play at their highest levels for this to come to fruition. Furthermore, Marner also has some new offensive weapons to work with, as the Maple Leafs added skilled players in Tyler Bertuzzi, John Klingberg, and Max Domi in free agency.
Related: Maple Leafs: 3 Big Expectations for Auston Matthews in 2023-24
In the end, it would be excellent to see Marner reach this fantastic milestone. He has come very close to it in back-to-back years, so look for him to finally break through this hurdle and hit this feat in 2023-24.
Marner Needs to Continue to Dominate Defensively
As Marner’s career has rolled on, his defensive game has improved rather noticeably. This and his rise in offensive production are two main reasons why people do not complain about his $10.903 million cap hit nearly as much as they used to. Yet, this past season was particularly impressive for him when it came to his defensive play, as he set a new career high with 104 takeaways. With that, he was a Selke Trophy finalist, finishing third behind Nico Hischier and winner Patrice Bergeron.
This is the best finish Marner has had in the Selke Trophy voting, and this is something he will be looking to build off of in 2023-24. As it stands right now, he should be viewed as among the favorites for the award, and this is especially so when noting that Bergeron, arguably the best two-way forward in NHL history, retired late last month.
If the Maple Leafs want to have success, they will need Marner to continue to be an elite two-way forward. It will be intriguing to see how well he can replicate last season’s dominant defensive play in 2023-24.
Marner Needs to Have Big Postseason
If the Maple Leafs want to finally go on a real postseason, they will need Marner and the rest of the Maple Leafs’ key players to have big postseasons. Marner showed up well during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, as he led the Maple Leafs in assists (11) and points (14) in 11 games played. He will now be aiming to have an even bigger postseason in 2024.
Over the last two seasons, Marner has noticeably produced well offensively in the playoffs. In 18 playoff games over the last two years, the Ontario native had five goals to go along with 22 points. However, if he increases his pace of production even by the slightest in 2024, it could be the final push that the Maple Leafs need to get deeper in the playoffs.
Marner will be one of the main players to watch during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, assuming the Maple Leafs get into them, of course. After a handful of poor playoff performances from 2019 to 2021, he has stepped up his play noticeably in the postseason since. Let’s see if he can make an even bigger impact offensively for the Maple Leafs from here.
Nevertheless, Marner is heading into the new season with high expectations. He is one of the Maple Leafs’ most important players, and he has the potential to make a serious impact for them, both in the regular season and in the playoffs. If he fulfills these three big expectations in 2023-24, it will be a year to remember for the 2015 fourth-overall pick.
