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Mitch Marner

Frank E said:
I just wonder if you worry about getting them injured on the PK?

I worry about them getting injured on the PK as much as I worry about them getting injured at even strength, which is to say, a lot, but it's also part of the game. Bubble hockey is hilarious fun though.

Considering he has been the high guy on a line with two chronically stationary defenders, Marner has basically been playing PK defense all year already.

I cringe when players of any talent level block shots. I think the practice is borderline stupid, but I understand the instinct. We've already seen Marner throw himself in front of some good ones, and he did it fairly regularly in junior.

Edit: mentally reviewing my positions on aspects of hockey recently, I've concluded that yes, I'm in favour of a team forgoing fighting, hitting, and blocking shots (high forward laydown type) to focus more on positioning, supporting the puck, pursuing the puck as a group, and shooting the puck from advantageous locations.
 
herman said:
Frank E said:
I just wonder if you worry about getting them injured on the PK?

I worry about them getting injured on the PK as much as I worry about them getting injured at even strength, which is to say, a lot, but it's also part of the game. Bubble hockey is hilarious fun though.

Considering he has been the high guy on a line with two chronically stationary defenders, Marner has basically been playing PK defense all year already.

I cringe when players of any talent level block shots. I think the practice is borderline stupid, but I understand the instinct. We've already seen Marner throw himself in front of some good ones, and he did it fairly regularly in junior.

Edit: mentally reviewing my positions on aspects of hockey recently, I've concluded that yes, I'm in favour of a team forgoing fighting, hitting, and blocking shots (high forward laydown type) to focus more on positioning, supporting the puck, pursuing the puck as a group, and shooting the puck from advantageous locations.

An inordinately high percentage of your observations are golden.  What the hell are you doing hanging around here?  You should be the guy hiding under the table whispering lines to Nick Kypreos.
 
Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate said:
What the hell are you doing hanging around here?  You should be the guy hiding under the table whispering lines to Nick Kypreos.

Well, for starters, I don't want to be under the table that Nick Kypreos is sitting at  ;D And I really like it here.
 
I don't worry too much about the injury risk but I do worry a little bit about throwing too much at them too soon. Marner's obviously been good offensively but not so good I think he shouldn't still be focused on improving there.
 
Marner's Offense:
Stylistically, he's a tic-tac-toe player, which has been on display at times with Bozak. He has mentioned himself that he's looking to develop into a multi-tool threat. He has a good, accurate shot, but the release is not quite NHL heavy or deceptive yet, leaning pretty heavily on wristers.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
shotLoc-1617-marnemi97.png

Shooting location has improved from the early parts of the season, where he was favouring the RW, outside of the dot.

As you can see in the videos below, when he pulls to the inside to open up the angle to more of the net, his accuracy has more to work with.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzvLH8VHaIU[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgFpzROv9ps[/youtube]


LEGZ
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25BxX-UJqMM[/youtube]
He's such a fantastic skater that it's great to see him use that tool to get better reads on the net, or open up lanes for his teammates.

BRAAAAINS
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1SBCEDm5mg[/youtube]
I said this last year when reviewing Marner's games with London. He has that Gretzkyian sense of where everyone is on the ice, and where they will likely be. Check out this bump back pass to Bozak after calling for the give and go with JvR by stick out his stick around Emelin.

STICK HANDLING
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrjHkna2REA[/youtube]
Seriously, it's not fair what he can do with the puck given even a little bit of time and space. It's not just the puck handling though, it's also the change of speed and positioning to give the puck the best look at the net.

BOARDS
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU5gfeIOen0[/youtube]
Do you remember how everyone thought Marner was too small for the NHL? HAHAHAHAHA. Here he knows he's going to be hit, so he just presses up against the boards to transfer all the hit into the flexing glass, bounces out, and knowing there is a follow up hit, he uses the momentum to drive his first stride out of the corner around a JvR pick for the no-look sneak-snipe.

TO BE IMPROVED
Marner still takes a good number of Jason Blake-ian shots and the line tends to prefer transition plays, rather than setting up shop on the cycle. Those straight-line approaches are pretty easy for the defense and goaltenders to turn away. Marner (and co.) do so much damage when they can cross the middle (get the zone defense communication scrambled) and in close. Fortunately, he's not afraid to get greasy, and can pick the puck out of a pile. His teammates have caught up with his thinking speed too, so they're keeping their sticks on the ice when he makes forays to the net (Bozak is sneaky!).
 
https://twitter.com/JeffVeillette/status/819969052659613698
Leafs 'Veterans':

Matt Hunwick - 31 (incredibly old)
Roman Polak - 30
Tyler Bozak - 30
Leo Komorov - 29
Matt Martin - 27
James Van Riemsdyk - 27
Nazem Kadri - 26
Jake Gardiner - 26
Morgan Rielly - 22(!)


 
LuncheonMeat said:
NHL.com

Mitch Marner: 6' 0"
Matt Martin: 6' 3"

hmmmm......

Edit: They make a cute couple, though

Uh-huh.  Marner is the Muggsy Bogues of the NHL.
 
McGarnagle said:
I know its been all about Matthews vs Laine in all the Calder talk, but is Marner that far off the discussion?

Realistically if Matthews/Laine score 35-40 goals or better then, yeah, Marner probably is pretty far off.
 
Marner is in a way much more fun to watch, but I think Matthews is a small step up in level of quality.
 
Nik the Trik said:
Realistically if Matthews/Laine score 35-40 goals or better then, yeah, Marner probably is pretty far off.

Pretty much. In most other seasons, Marner would be a strong contender, but, with two rookies poised to put up exceptional numbers for 1st year players, the 'merely' excellent numbers he's on pace for won't cut it.
 
Unless the unexpected were to happen, and Marner has a stellar 2nd half and ends up taking the rookie point lead. I think that would put him in the Calder mix.
 
RedLeaf said:
Unless the unexpected were to happen, and Marner has a stellar 2nd half and ends up taking the rookie point lead. I think that would put him in the Calder mix.

Well, he's only 3pts back now. And he and Matthews have a bunch of games in hand.

I'm going to put an order in for campaign buttons.
 
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/birthday-boys-uncle-takes-a-shot-laine-scores-with-visit-signed-jersey-410651155.html
Highlander said:
whats the latest on Laine, I heard he was concussed
 

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