When Mitch Marner went down with a shoulder injury at practice at the beginning of December, I don't think anyone really anticipated the star forward missing a month of action, but that's exactly what happened. The issue was compounded when Marner was forced to spend some time on the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list after testing positive for the virus shortly thereafter.
Marner seemed to just be heating up prior to his injury, amassing 6 points in the 5 games leading up to his run in with Jake Muzzin at practice, but he didn't look quite the same coming back from injury and illness a month later. The Markham, Ontario native went pointless in his first two games back, which did not sit well with the fanbase.
Well, I'm here to report that MITCH MARNER IS BACK, BABY! He's back, and not a moment too soon. He has picked up right where he left off in November, racking up 5 points in his last 3 games. What's even more special about that is that of those 5 points, 3 are goals - and of those 3 goals, he's scored one at even-strength, one shorthanded, and one with the man-advantage, snapping a 100+ game power play goal drought. The 24-year-old looks reinvigorated, refreshed and ready to get his season back on track.
Marner has just 26 points in 29 games this season, which is well below where he normally sits at this point in the year, but if his play over the last 3 games is any indication, he's just getting warmed up. There's no reason to think that he can't finish the season at or above a point-per-game, given his scoring history and his position alongside one of the league's absolute best snipers in Auston Matthews.
