I was working out at the gym Wednesday morning, minding my own business, when PenguinPoop colleague Caleb Di’Natale texted with the news that rumors were circulating linking the Penguins to Toronto’s star forward Mitch Marner.
My knee-jerk response to Caleb?
“We don’t need a skilled soft-serve guy…just the opposite.”
Before I prattle on, let me frame my response. A former fourth overall pick, Marner is a gifted 27-year-old right wing. He’s tallied as many as 35 goals and 99 points in a season and has topped 90 points in three of his eight NHL seasons. His underlying metrics are strong and he’s regarded as a good defensive player. Can finish, too.
In short, he’s far better and more accomplished at what he does than I could ever hope to be.
So why my hard no on acquiring him?
I’m not sure Mitch is the type of player we need. Despite his glowing stats and reputation, he’s experienced his struggles come the postseason. Indeed, he’s a big part of the Leafs’ fabled ‘Core Four’ that just can’t seem to get ‘er done in the playoffs. He’s drawing a considerable amount of heat from the Toronto media and fan base for the team’s most recent failure.
Too, he has a reputation for being a bit emotional. During a Game 4 loss that put the Leafs in a 3-1 hole against the Bruins, Marner blew a gasket on the Leafs’ bench. Okay, so there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. We all get frustrated some times. Heck, Phil Kessel had a similar meltdown on our bench during the 2017 Cup run before hopping over the boards moments later to score the game-winning goal against Ottawa.
Like Phil the Thrill, Marner’s definitely the kind of player who stirs the drink.
“John (Tavares) told me today that sometimes he wants to punch me, sometimes he loves me,” Marner said. “He doesn’t have a lot of energy and I’m always bouncing around…”
Sounds like a latter day Pierre Larouche, who evoked similar reactions from his veteran Pens teammates back in the day.
Then there’s the matter of Marner’s burgeoning cap hit…$10.9 million through the coming season. Hard to see how the Pens could afford him unless they jettisoned…say…Tristan Jarry and Ryan Graves in return as suggested by The Hockey News.
Yeah, I know. If I were Leafs GM Brad Treliving, I wouldn’t do that deal either.
Marner for Erik Karlsson (just popped into my head)? Both players would have to waive their no movement clauses.
But maybe…
Anyway, back to the original point I’d intended to make. In a recent article on the Trib, Mark Madden suggests the Pens should seek to add edgy players like Marner’s teammates Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi (both of whom outscored Mitch against Boston) and the Bruins’ Jake DeBrusk.
All three are pending UFAs.
I agree 100 (make that 1000) percent. In my follow-up response to Caleb I texted, “We need more Michael Bunting types.” Madden made the same observation in his article, noting that one battler isn’t enough.
Again, I concur.
The Pens circa 2010 employed legions of scrappy players, including Matt Cooke, Tyler Kennedy and Mad Max Talbot to name a few. Not only were they hard to play against, they were built to compete in the playoffs.
Refresh my memory. Who was it who scored both our goals against the Wings in Game 7 of the ’09 Final to win us the Cup?
Sidney Crosby? Evgeni Malkin?
Nope.
Talbot.
The ’16 and ’17 Cup champs had Patric Hornqvist and Chris Kunitz to drag us into the fight and stoke our competitive fires.
Somewhere along the line, we’ve divested ourselves of that type of player. I point the finger squarely at coach Mike Sullivan, who seems averse to anyone who plays with an edge. Too, the black-and-gold has a long tradition of emphasizing skill over grit and other intangibles, most often not to our benefit.
Back in the ‘80s, while we were drafting Smurfish, second-tier skill guys like Lee Giffin, Tom O’Regan and Grant Sasser, the Flyers were drafting warriors like Tim Kerr, Scott Mellanby and Rick Tocchet.
We know how that worked out.
A final observation made while watching the Rangers’ overtime victory over the Hurricanes on Tuesday night, one that put them up 2-0 in the series. The ‘Canes are an excellent team, made even better with the additions of former Pen Jake Guentzel and ex-Cap Evgeny Kuznetsov. Nor are they timid in any way, shape or form.
Yet during the game I got the sense the Rangers were seeking contact and initiating scrums, while the ‘Canes for the most part were trying to avoid them.
Plain and simple, the Rangers were the more forceful team. And in the playoffs, forceful generally wins.
Marner is many things as a player. Forceful isn’t one of them.
That’s why I say, “None for me, thanks.”
