Toronto Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner on pace for first 100-point season
There’s a common talking point about Mitch Marner that often permeates Toronto Maple Leafs fandom: that he’s “a 100-point guy.”
The leading scorer in four of his NHL seasons with Toronto, Marner’s offensive talent has shone through pretty much since his professional debut.
While he’s often been a polarizing player — like many stars in big markets — Marner’s ability to hit the century mark on the scoresheet has often been cited, including by the upper levels of Leafs management.
“We are fortunate to have Mitch. We get to see him every day. He is a star,” Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said in a summer interview with the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast. “There are not many guys who are over a point per game. He is pushing 100 points. He is a Selke Trophy finalist. He kills penalties. He loves being a Maple Leaf. He cares so much that he wears it.”
The only issue is that while he’s come close on a few occasions, he’s never actually hit that marker yet.
Though he’s been above a point per game every year since 2018-19, his third season in the league, Marner has yet to crack the 100-point mark that often is the signal these days of a truly elite NHL forward.
But that could change this season.
In 31 games this season, Marner has put up 10 goals and 31 assists, totalling 41 points. Extrapolating those numbers out to 82 games, Marner is on pace for 26 goals and 82 assists, or 108 points over the course of the season.
Of course, that’s much easier said than done. Marner’s played 80 games or more three times in his career but has five occasions (including two COVID-19-affected shortened seasons) where he has not. While a major COVID-19 shutdown is unlikely at this point, it’s still more than halfway to go for Marner to reach the milestone.
How close has Marner come before to 100 points with the Leafs?
Marner’s best offensive season came when he put up 1.35 points per game in 2021-22, as he hit 97 points in just 72 games, with 35 goals and 62 assists. But from a pure counting standpoint, he was just one point off the 100 mark a year later, when he had 99 points by way of 30 goals and 69 assists.
Health and consistency clearly play a big part in hitting 100, with Marner getting about as close as you can get on a couple of occasions.
Since Marner joined the NHL as a rookie in 2016-17, 22 players have had at least one 100-point season, though just eight have had two or more. Connor McDavid leads the league with a ridiculous seven 100-point seasons, while Leon Draisaitl has five and Nikita Kucherov has four.
Only time will tell if Marner actually joins the club this season.