Fansided

5 Toronto Maple Leafs who need to step up in Mitch Marner’s place

By Mary Clarke

TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 07: Mitch Marner #16 and John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs take the ice against the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period at the Scotiabank Arena on November 7, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 07: Mitch Marner #16 and John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs take the ice against the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period at the Scotiabank Arena on November 7, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next

The Toronto Maple Leafs will need help with leading scorer Mitch Marner set to miss at least four weeks due to injury. Here’s who can help fill the void.

Should things progress smoothly for the Maple Leafs, Mitch Marner should be back on the ice by the NHL’s holiday break. The forward suffered a high-ankle sprain over the weekend in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers, putting Marner out of the Maple Leafs’ lineup for at least four weeks as he recovers.

It could have been much worse for Marner, who was in clear discomfort on the face-off play where he was injured. However, Toronto will still have to go at least a month without their second-best point producer. The Maple Leafs have been beset by injuries all season long, with Marner joining the ranks of John Tavares, Zach Hyman and Travis Dermott this season as injured key members of Toronto’s lineup.

Thankfully, Marner’s injury is the only current one for Toronto’s core, meaning the Maple Leafs have ample opportunity to keep afloat in a competitive Atlantic Division. The Maple Leafs have offensive talent in spades without Marner in the lineup, but the team could no doubt use a boost for the next four weeks without one of their top playmakers.

In Marner’s absence, here are five Maple Leafs players that can step up and help shoulder the burden for Toronto.

TORONTO, ON – NOVEMBER 07: Toronto Maple Leafs Left Wing Ilya Mikheyev (65) in action during the regular season NHL game between the Vegas Golden Knights and Toronto Maple Leafs on November 7, 2019 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON. (Photo by Gerry Angus/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – NOVEMBER 07: Toronto Maple Leafs Left Wing Ilya Mikheyev (65) in action during the regular season NHL game between the Vegas Golden Knights and Toronto Maple Leafs on November 7, 2019 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON. (Photo by Gerry Angus/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

5. Ilya Mikheyev, RW

The Maple Leafs’ 25-year-old rookie forward has 11 points in 20 games played in his first NHL season. The hype around Mikheyev has landed him as a potential Calder Trophy contender as the NHL’s best rookie of the year, though the talk has died down a little bit after his hot start to the season has since fizzled.

Mikheyev has just one assist in his last seven games with the Maple Leafs, but he remains in the top five NHL rookies in points this season despite the drop off.

Marner’s absence creates a hole in the Maple Leafs’ top six, one that Mikheyev could fill if needed should the rookie play better down the line. Though he has a big frame and can use it as needed, Mikheyev has a scoring touch that he’s showed in the first few weeks of the 2019-20 NHL season.

The Maple Leafs likely won’t be pressed to move Mikheyev up their lineup right away, as the 25-year-old has carved out a spot for himself on the third line, but if he starts to catch fire, it may not be a bad idea to slide him into the top six.

Home/Toronto Maple Leafs