Throughout most of the NHL postseason, it seemed like Mitch Marner was turning things around.
While his playoff performance with the Toronto Maple Leafs left something to be desired, this season he was at the top of the league in playoff points with the Vegas Golden Knights.
However, after the Golden Knights fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games during the Stanley Cup Final, some fans have been quick to target Marner for blame.
Why? Because he didn’t contribute in their last two losses.
After leading all players in points throughout the playoffs, he ended up with no points in Games 5 and 6-the two defeats that sealed Carolina’s championship.
Marner points in games five and six: 0
Guess we’ll have to wait to hear about the dark times
– JD Bunkis (@JDBunkis) June 15, 2026
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This is just a small sample size, and overall, Marner’s playoff performance remains promising for Vegas.
No one expects him to carry the entire team on his own, but it was definitely unfortunate for both him and the Golden Knights that he went silent during these crucial final matches.
The reason Vegas brought Marner over from Toronto via a big offseason sign-and-trade was because they believed his superstar skills could make an impact. For most of last month, that’s exactly what he did.
But when everything was on the line, Marner just faded away. While this doesn’t necessarily define his career, some fans will certainly take it as evidence that he lacks that clutch quality.
And at least for this moment, that does seem somewhat accurate.
Marner will need to wait almost a year before getting another chance to change that narrative again.
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