Mitch Marner is the hottest player in the NHL playoffs at this point.
And it’s amazing how much trolling fans will go to when they’ve become salty over athletes.
Perhaps fans from Toronto can’t find any other reason to lash out after the Maple Leafs’ disastrous season – they were the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference, one of just two squads that couldn’t get to 80 points.
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When Marner signed with the Golden Knights the day before free agency last summer, the only thing hotter than Vegas’ weather was blue and white jerseys with the No. 16 on it. Fans could be seen burning Marner jerseys.
Now, the only thing hotter than Marner nearly one year later, are fans who vow the 29-year-old won’t be showing up the next period, game or round.
And yet here is, with at least one point in seven of the Golden Knights’ games, leading the postseason with 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) and fresh off scoring a hat trick in Friday’s 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
The Golden Knights lead the second-round series, 2-1, and have regained home-ice advantage, much in part to Marner’s offensive prowess.
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“People talk about (Marner), this, that, the other thing,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “I don’t think he listens to it, whether it be good or bad.
“He’s just a hockey player.”
A hockey player who is seemingly dialed and doing his part at the right moment, toe-dragging the Golden Knights in their push toward a third trip to the Stanley Cup Final in nine years.
“I try to always be an energizer guy, a guy that goes out there and brings a lot of passion and energy to games,” Marner said after his first playoff hat trick. “It’s always nice to contribute, but at the end of the day, you just want to win games.”
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During his time in Toronto, the former first-round, fourth-overall pick, he had 13 goals and 50 assists in 70 games. And despite being the Leafs’ offensive player, he was oft-scrutinized for his performances, or lack thereof, in the postseason.
Thus, the trolls have emerged, reminding everyone how the Maple Leafs went nowhere when Marner in town, conveniently forgetting other premier names were also on the roster.
“I think he’s a hell of a hockey player,” Tortorella said. “I think he’s very cerebral and very confident in what he brings.
“You know, people give him s*** all the time about playoffs and this and that, and I don’t think it bothers him a lick. He just plays.”
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And that will continue to infuriate Toronto fans.
Perhaps they’d be better served griping over Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman, who has a 4.63 ERA over his last two starts and is a lifetime 32-34 with a 4.00 ERA against the other four AL East teams.
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner (93) controls the puck against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period in game three of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center.
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