Now Retired Ex-Maple Leafs Enforcer Chimes in on Fans' Treatment of Mitch Marner
Photo credit: Aaron Doster - Imagn Images
Mitch Marner has had plenty of players speaking up to support him wanting out of Toronto, and now another ex-Maple Leafs enforcer has joined the cause.
A common theme this summer involving former players of the Toronto Maple Leafs has been the unfair treatment that they believe Mitch Marner has received from the media and the fan base, with many expressing their support for Marner.
After having been unable to succeed for nearly a decade, Marner was one of many star players criticized for the team's lack of success. However, things really took a turn when he essentially blocked a trade that would have brought Mikko Rantanen to Toronto at the trade deadline.
Nevertheless, those that have played with Marner have nothing but great things to say about him, and have routinely come to his defense by claiming the fanbase was a little too critical. Ryan Reaves was one of those players, and now we can add Matt Martin to the list as well.
Appearing as a guest on the 'Cam & Strick Podcast', the former Leafs enforcer talked about a variety of things before touching on his time in Toronto and how he believes Marner was unfairly treated at the end of his tenure.
One of the main criticisms that Marner faced was that sometimes it looked like he didn't care or that he played with a lackadaisical attitude. However, Martin believes there's another side that we never really saw.
"Ultimately, I think he poured his heart into that thing, I do believe that, I think he really wore it when he took a lot of criticism when they didn't get the job done... I think he cares greatly about the team and the game. I think it's hard on him that they didn't get it done and the amount of criticism he took on that and I think they exhausted that whole set-up... but I know he loved the Leafs, loved playing for the Leafs, and he really wanted to get the job done."
Marner leaves the organization as one of the top point-getters in franchise history. However, when it came to the post-season, he was unable to propel his game to the same lofty heights.
Now with Vegas, he will be joining a team that is built to win it all, whereas his former club in Toronto will be looking to rebrand themselves after a franchise-altering off-season has them looking very different on paper.
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