Jack Eichel had seen enough of the banter surrounding his teammate, Mitch Marner. The Vegas Golden Knights forward called out his critics and skeptics, saying that Marner was treated unfairly during his prior tenure.
"As a teammate and a friend of his, and somebody that cares about him and his family, of course I do. I think the world of Mitch. Anybody who has negative or bad things to say about him, obviously I disagree with, because I think highly of him."Jack Eichel during NHL media day
Yes, those Toronto Maple Leafs fans will point to Marner's "playoff failures" as a shining example. But do they know that Marner is fifth all-time in Maple Leafs history in playoff points (63)? They must have forgotten that memo because Marner has more playoff points in Maple Leafs history than the rest of his "Core Four" teammates.
But it goes beyond that. One play saved the Golden Knights on Tuesday, stealing home-ice advantage from the Carolina Hurricanes. It came in the waning seconds of Game 1, when the Golden Knights needed a big defensive play from their best player.
Mitch Marner saved the Vegas Golden Knights with a blocked shot in Game 1
The Vegas Golden Knights are in dire need of the puck staying out of their net. They wanted to ensure that the game didn't go into overtime, leaving all the momentum to themselves. Carolina gets the puck and a shot is fired off. Enter Mitch Marner.
Mitch Marner's teammates immediately went over to him after his HUGE block to seal the Game 1 win 😤 pic.twitter.com/x7TI9T8DMA
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 3, 2026
Imagine what would've happened if the Golden Knights didn't acquire Marner from the Maple Leafs and if they didn't sign him to an eight-year, $12 million AAV deal. The game becomes tied and the Hurricanes likely win in overtime.
Instead, Marner saves the day on a clutch blocked shot, stealing home-ice advantage from Carolina. Sometimes, the biggest plays aren't offensive numbers on the stat sheet. That could come in the form of a blocked shot or a faceoff won. In this case, it was the former, as the Golden Knights defeated the Hurricanes to take the Stanley Cup Final opener.
That blocked shot also goes a long way in adding credibility to the claim that, well, the Golden Knights are simply better than the Maple Leafs. You always want your forward line and defensemen groups to be loaded with great players. You can't rely solely on top-heavy groups and guys making north of $10 million AAV.
That was the case with the Maple Leafs, who provided a top-heavy lineup during their Stanley Cup playoff runs. Compare that to the Golden Knights, who got goals from players like William Karlsson and Brett Howden. Both players combine to make less than Auston Matthews, adding more fuel to the "depth" fire.
If Marner's blocked shot in Game 1 wasn't enough proof that Jack Eichel was right, I don't know what is. The Golden Knights are simply built better than the Maple Leafs ever were. Kelly McCrimmon prides himself on ensuring that he has great players at the right price. That's something that can't be said about Ontario's most dysfunctional sports franchise.
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