The Toronto Maple Leafs may not be anywhere near the Stanley Cup this year, but that doesn’t mean they’re out of the headlines altogether. Thanks to Mitch Marner’s renaissance, the Leafs have been getting a lot of attention this year, especially after they missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
With Marner now four wins away from getting his hands on Lord Stanley, Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon was asked for his thoughts on why the Leafs failed to make the most out of Marner in the playoffs.
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McCrimmon reluctantly took the question from a reporter at his pre-Stanley Cup Final media availability, but it appears he wasn’t reaching for an answer.
“For me, I think the change has helped him. I think our team is deeper and a better team than what he had played on in Toronto. Not that Toronto didn’t have really good teams, but you have to have that depth throughout your roster because to go through four rounds, everybody’s gotta take their turn,” McCrimmon said.
“Mitch is playing with tremendous confidence. He’s really savoring the moment.”
“I think our team is deeper and a better team than what he had played on in Toronto, not that Toronto didn’t have real good teams.”
Kelly McCrimmon speaks on why Mitch Marner has found success in Vegas. pic.twitter.com/7PA9qfQTu1
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 1, 2026
Mitch Marner currently leads the NHL in postseason points, having tallied 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) to lead the race for the 2026 Conn Smythe. Those seven goals are already more than his last three playoff runs in Toronto… combined. Yikes.
Last week, Marner’s former head coach, Bruce Cassidy, was also posed the same question. His answer bordered on the same lines.
“He had a tough go in there at Toronto,” Cassidy said of Marner’s time with the Maple Leafs.
“I was out West for a lot of it. I saw him early on in his career. When I was in Boston, we beat them in a seven-game series. I thought he was their best player in the playoffs. I’ve seen him be good that time of year, but right now, he’s having a lot of fun out there.
“He’s got other people around him. If he’s not producing for a couple of games, it’s not the end of the world in Vegas, whereas in Toronto, he’d probably get scrutinized a lot more.”
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In Sin City, Marner looks like a man reborn and a shoo-in for the 2026 Conn Smythe. Head coach John Tortorella has also played a role in maximizing Marner’s talents in these playoffs.
Tortorella himself is close to achieving something only a select few have done in the National Hockey League. If they win the 2026 Stanley Cup, the Golden Knights head coach could join an exclusive list of names to have led multiple franchises to the holy grail of hockey, a list that includes Scotty Bowman, Dick Irvin Sr and Tommy Gorman.
