Mitch Marner's Maple Leafs breakup: How it got here and where it's going
Not long after he wore the Maple Leafs' blue and white for the first time, Mitch Marner summed up his first National Hockey League experience.
Article content
'I thought I could have been a lot better, that's for sure,' Marner said late on the night of Sept. 22, 2015, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, having just finished playing in his first NHL pre-season game. 'It's the jitters I'm getting out of me right now. I can improve out there.'
Article content
Article content
Article content
It would be another 12 1/2 months before Marner earned the opportunity with the Leafs, in games that mattered, to start making good on those thoughts.
Article content
Nearly nine years beyond Marner's regular-season Leafs debut, the firm belief in every corner is that his tenure with Toronto is coming to an end.
Article content
Simply put, the regular-season magic that Marner often put on display was not matched, certainly not commonly, when the annual Stanley Cup tournament got underway.
Article content
HOW DID HIS NHL DEBUT GO?
Article content
Within days of his skating in his pre-season debut with the Leafs nearly 10 years ago— and three months after Toronto picked him fourth overall in the 2015 NHL draft in Sunrise, Fla. — Marner was returned to the London Knights, deemed too green to make an impact in the NHL.
Article content
At the age of 18, Marner enjoyed a dream season in what would be his final Ontario Hockey League year, becoming just the second player (Brad Richards in 2000 with Rimouski was the first) to win the Memorial Cup, the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Memorial Cup MVP), be named Canadian Hockey League player of the year, win league MVP honours, and win his league's playoff MVP award in the same season. No player has done it since.
Article content
There wasn't much doubt as to whether Marner would crack the Leafs roster coming out of training camp in 2016. Along with Auston Matthews and William Nylander, who played in 22 games with the Leafs in the previous season, Toronto's young core was set to start showing the city and the rest of the hockey world its collective potential.
Article content
Article content
The pre-season games aside, Marner's real-life NHL debut isn't remembered by many people outside of his immediate family. That's not because of what Marner did or didn't do, though he didn't have a point in Ottawa against the Senators on Oct. 12, 2016, when the Leafs kicked off their regular season.
Article content
Peer a little closer at the game sheet from that night and see what Marner did. Skating on a line with Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk, Marner had six shots on goal and 11 attempts, and his two takeaways (along with Matthews, the most in the game on either team) served notice as to the cerebral defensive stalwart that Marner eventually would become.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Sun
22 minutes ago
- Toronto Sun
NBA champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now Canada's greatest basketball player
Mitch Marner's Maple Leafs breakup: How it got here and where it's going WARMINGTON: Only in Toronto would swimming pools be closed because it's too hot NBA champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now Canada's greatest basketball player Oklahoma City Thunder's title capped historic year for pride of Hamilton. Get the latest from Ryan Wolstat straight to your inbox Sign Up AP Photo Article content If there was still a debate before Sunday, there's no longer any doubt: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the best Canadian basketball player ever and, even at only 26 years old, he already has the resume to prove it. Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account or Sign in without password View more offers Article content Hamilton's finest lifted both the Larry O'Brien and Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player trophies late Sunday night after Oklahoma City's Game 7 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Article content tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or NBA champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now Canada's greatest basketball player Back to video Article content Gilgeous-Alexander has now done what Steve Nash could not, winning the NBA title (not to mention the league's scoring title). Only Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have claimed regular season and Finals MVP as well as the scoring title in the same season. He averaged 29.9 points a game in the playoffs as the centre of attention and the focus of all opposing defences, and as a finale, carried the Thunder early Sunday on the way to a 29-points, 12-assist, one-turnover performance in the biggest game of his life. Your Midday Sun Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Article content Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Gilgeous-Alexander didn't worry about missed shots (he went just 8-for-27, his worst shooting game of these playoffs), but still consistently made the right play. Game 7s always are a slog, everyone seems to be off (the Thunder hit 40.2% as a team, Indiana 41.4% without even getting to 100 points, but Gilgeous-Alexander consistently found a way to break down the Pacers and finish a storybook season. Nash already is in the Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame and now we know Gilgeous-Alexander will join him one day. Only two non-active former Finals MVPs have failed to reach the Hall since the award was first handed out in 1968-69 and Gilgeous-Alexander is just getting started. This is the fourth year in a row a Canadian has won it all (Andrew Wiggins with Golden State, Jamal Murray with Denver, Oshae Brissett with Boston), with Gilgeous-Alexander and Montreal's Lu Dort becoming the 11th and 12th Canadian NBA champions. Advertisement 4 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Play Video Countrymen Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin also put their stamp on the series at various times. Canada basketball is in a great place. SIAKAM DID ALL HE COULD Once Tyrese Haliburton went down, it was going to be up to Pascal Siakam to pull off another Indiana miracle. He gave it his all, but so many minutes and OKC's fearsome defence seemed to catch up with Siakam. Still, it was a hell of a year for the former Raptors great, one that will get him a lot of future all-NBA votes (he already has made the second team and third team once each and was the Eastern Conference final MVP) and firmly put him back on the map as an all-star level player. Article content It was interesting to hear Siakam allude afterward to the ugly end to his time with the Raptors. That team wasn't alone in believing Siakam wasn't worth the max contract he was seeking (otherwise it would have been easier to deal him for a far better package than what Indiana offered), but it stung Siakam because of how close he had been with Masai Ujiri and others with the Raptors through his remarkable rise to stardom. It ended with a lack of communication between Siakam and the Raptors, Ujiri calling him (and other now former Raptors) selfish in a bizarre media day attack before the ultimate trade and has continued with Siakam not taking part of any of this season's 30th anniversary year retrospectives. Siakam said Sunday how fun Haliburton and the Pacers had made basketball for him. 'Like a couple years ago, I think basketball was just — yeah, it was kind of dark for me. It was just not fun at all,' Siakam said. Advertisement 5 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content What do you think of Pascal's quote after last night's Game 7?#WeTheNorth 📸: Alonzo Adams — Raptors Republic (@raptorsrepublic) June 23, 2025 'And I got traded here, and these guys, they just gave me a boost and starting with Ty, obviously but just playing with these guys has been so incredible but just found my joy for the game and just playing with so much swagger and happiness and that's all I want to do as a player. I lost that for a while and it's so incredible that (he got it back).' 'I didn't believe this was possible because of the situation I was in and to see how amazing we did this year and all the things we accomplished … and obviously it sucks that we didn't (win) … (but) I'm super appreciative of the opportunity to be here. Kind of gave me my — that joy for the game again, and I'm just super grateful for that,' he said. EAST EVEN MORE WIDE OPEN While the Thunder is set up to lead the West again, Haliburton's devastating Achilles injury has made an already-wide-open Eastern Conference even more of a crapshoot for 2025-26. Advertisement 6 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Advertisement 7 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content That's why the Raptors and other teams wanted Kevin Durant, or Giannis Antetokounmpo and others, and will continue to angle for high-powered additions. It's not every year that a deep playoff run looks this attainable. The East is once again very much the league's junior varsity division. STATS PACK Here's a wrap on the best stats from a surprisingly superb series between Oklahoma City and Indiana: The Thunder is the youngest team to win the title since Portland in 1977. OKC finished 11-2 at home in the playoffs. That's two short of Boston's 2007-08 record and only the 1987-88 Lakers and 1983-84 Celtics won 12. Home teams are now 16-4 all-time in Game 7 of an NBA Finals with Cleveland the only road winner since Washington beat Seattle in 1978. @WolstatSun Article content Share this article in your social network Read Next
National Post
28 minutes ago
- National Post
Sportsnet's Joe Siddall shines as clear heir apparent to Buck Martinez on Blue Jays broadcasts
It was early days in his broadcasting career when Sportsnet's Joe Siddall was getting a cameo in the television booth and quickly learned how Buck Martinez, his partner that day, was much more than just a smooth voice and a revered Blue Jays personality. Article content And the lessons learned that day resonated to the point that it provided Siddall one of his biggest leaps forward in his own broadcasting career. Article content Article content 'Buck and I were taping an intro and 10 or 20 seconds in I butchered it and it was 'OK, Take 2,'' Siddall recalled of that day in the Rogers Centre TV booth where he was moved up from the radio booth as a fill-in for Pat Tabler. 'Then 20 seconds into the next one, I butchered that one as well and it was on to Take 3. Article content 'Finally, Buck just looked at me and said 'Put your (bleeping) paper down, look in that camera and pretend you're talking to your son about baseball.' Article content 'The light bulb went on and it just freed me up. It was early on but to this day I say it was a turning point for me.' Article content Siddall hasn't looked back since, developing into one of the most trusted and versatile voices on Sportsnet's Blue Jays telecasts. Article content Article content He also has emerged as the heir apparent to Martinez, whenever the day comes that Buck stops talking baseball for a Canada-wide TV audience. Article content To be clear, Martinez has no plans to go anywhere even though he has been absent for the past 22 games for what he described as regular time off in his reduced schedule. The 76-year-old is set to return to the Sportsnet airwaves next Monday when the New York Yankees visit the Rogers Centre for a four-game series. Article content For the third year now, Siddall has been the steady backup to Martinez after the latter trimmed his workload to 100 games a season. The resulting reconfiguration Siddall shuffling from the Blue Jays Central studio to the game broadcast booth for a near-even split of the 130 contracted games he works each season. Article content Article content The Windsor native and former catcher (like all Jays analysts, it seems) has quietly become an important voice to the team's coverage. His in-depth breakdowns — and honest, transparent criticism when warranted — shines through in his studio segments. And that insight has travelled nicely to the booth. Article content 'What I like about doing both is the variety,' Siddall said prior to a game in the Jays recently completed homestand. 'That mix is great. But what I love about the booth is that it's almost like you're back in the game again. You're going pitch to pitch, thinking along with the pitcher and catcher, what the infield is doing, how the outfield is playing. It's in the moment more. It's that little fix to make up for not playing any more.
National Post
28 minutes ago
- National Post
NBA champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now Canada's greatest basketball player
If there was still a debate before Sunday, there's no longer any doubt: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the best Canadian basketball player ever and, even at only 26 years old, he already has the resume to prove it. Article content Hamilton's finest lifted both the Larry O'Brien and Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player trophies late Sunday night after Oklahoma City's Game 7 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Article content Article content Gilgeous-Alexander has now done what Steve Nash could not, winning the NBA title (not to mention the league's scoring title). Only Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have claimed regular season and Finals MVP as well as the scoring title in the same season. Article content He averaged 29.9 points a game in the playoffs as the centre of attention and the focus of all opposing defences, and as a finale, carried the Thunder early Sunday on the way to a 29-points, 12-assist, one-turnover performance in the biggest game of his life. Article content Gilgeous-Alexander didn't worry about missed shots (he went just 8-for-27, his worst shooting game of these playoffs), but still consistently made the right play. Article content Game 7s always are a slog, everyone seems to be off (the Thunder hit 40.2% as a team, Indiana 41.4% without even getting to 100 points, but Gilgeous-Alexander consistently found a way to break down the Pacers and finish a storybook season. Article content Nash already is in the Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame and now we know Gilgeous-Alexander will join him one day. Only two non-active former Finals MVPs have failed to reach the Hall since the award was first handed out in 1968-69 and Gilgeous-Alexander is just getting started. Article content Article content This is the fourth year in a row a Canadian has won it all (Andrew Wiggins with Golden State, Jamal Murray with Denver, Oshae Brissett with Boston), with Gilgeous-Alexander and Montreal's Lu Dort becoming the 11th and 12th Canadian NBA champions. Article content Article content Countrymen Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin also put their stamp on the series at various times. Article content Canada basketball is in a great place. Article content Once Tyrese Haliburton went down, it was going to be up to Pascal Siakam to pull off another Indiana miracle. He gave it his all, but so many minutes and OKC's fearsome defence seemed to catch up with Siakam. Article content Still, it was a hell of a year for the former Raptors great, one that will get him a lot of future all-NBA votes (he already has made the second team and third team once each and was the Eastern Conference final MVP) and firmly put him back on the map as an all-star level player. Article content It was interesting to hear Siakam allude afterward to the ugly end to his time with the Raptors. That team wasn't alone in believing Siakam wasn't worth the max contract he was seeking (otherwise it would have been easier to deal him for a far better package than what Indiana offered), but it stung Siakam because of how close he had been with Masai Ujiri and others with the Raptors through his remarkable rise to stardom. Article content It ended with a lack of communication between Siakam and the Raptors, Ujiri calling him (and other now former Raptors) selfish in a bizarre media day attack before the ultimate trade and has continued with Siakam not taking part of any of this season's 30th anniversary year retrospectives.
