I'm pretty sure that Mitch Marner has heard everything from hockey fans everywhere, specifically in that one place. You know, the place with the 1984-ish media all over t He's been labeled as a choker, a guy who vanishes under the spotlight, and other expletives and things. Yet, that hasn't stopped Marner from achieving with his new team, the Vegas Golden Knights.
As of this game, the Canadian Olympian has three assists. Yes, he doesn't have a goal this postseason. However, that's not his main objective as a Golden Knight. He's supposed to be the guy who sets up the main stars, whether that's Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, or Pavel Dorofeyev.
That's especially true on special teams, where all three assists have come on the unit. Here, you're looking at one short-handed assist in Game 4 on a Brett Howden goal and two power play assists. Suddenly, Marner's doing his job as a facilitator and is proving the skeptics wrong. Haters gonna hate, right?
Now, whether the team steps up and makes life easier for Marner remains to be seen. That means they must help him out and carry the play to win the first round. That would be an excellent start. However, the former "Core Four" member is showing that he's starting to shake those postseason demons with every point, proving that he can be efficient if he's in the right environment.
The Marner sample is small—yet telling—of how he could do in future Vegas Golden Knights playoff appearances
Look, I know that the Golden Knights are tied right now and the Utah series hasn't been easy. But that can't be entirely pinned on Marner himself. You must look at other factors like the power play, ranging from Tomas Hertl to Pavel Dorofeyev (both have no goals on the unit this series).
The blame can also be pinned on Carter Hart collapsing in Games 3 and 4. The Golden Knights were hoping that the former Flyers goaltender would take back his power and play like he did during his Philadelphia heyday. However, that hasn't been the case in recent memory, with the netminder getting killed on shots up high.
Still, Marner has done well in this series. Aside from being a lone special teams bright spot, he's also done well on the defensive end. His stick has been one of the most active on the Golden Knights this series, going after every single puck. That bodes well for his future postseason appearances, especially if they go on a deep run.
The Golden Knights will need more than Marner to step up, though
As mentioned, the blame can't be entirely pinned on Marner for the Golden Knights nearly being down 3-1. You must also look at players like Hart and Hertl being ineffective. These players haven't done much for Vegas, whether it's on the power play or making saves from shots afar.
This series is a good start for the former "Core Four" member in silencing the narrative regarding his ineffectiveness. Sure, three assists in four games isn't exactly appealing. However, it's a step in the right direction in quieting the skeptics for good.
Of course, there must be some roster restructuring to occur for Vegas to stand a chance. Fans have seen Kelly McCrimmon make bold moves and come out relatively clean. That's becoming more obvious with Marner, who's been worth every dollar of his $12 million AAV contract.
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