Mitch Marner scored a beautiful goal against the Predators on Saturday which froze Juuse Saros, and the star forward has some past teammates to thank for the idea.
Although the Toronto Maple Leafs fell 5-2 to the Nashville Predators on Saturday night, their second goal of the game was an absolute snipe, as Mitch Marner took the puck off the face-off and wired it past goaltender Juuse Saros.
if you blinked, you missed it, and for Marner it was yet another point in an already fantastic season.
But it wasn't all Marner's brainchild either. Speaking on the set play that gave him his 22nd goal of the season, Marner mentioned a couple of old teammates who used to use the strategy to full effect and decided to learn from his mentors Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk:
I honestly have to give a lot of credit to Bozey and JVR for that one, playing with those guys for the years I did.I wouldn't say it was a set play, but, you know, we talked a lot about trying to figure that out and do it. I think they scored a couple of times on it themselves in the years they were together here.
So, that kind of just came about. I just wanted to try something new at the faceoff dot. Tone [Auston Matthews] was lucky enough to snap it back to me, and I just tried to get it off quickly-and it worked out.
It certainly was a gorgeous goal for the pending free agent, and those types of plays are going to be imperative to Toronto's success in the playoffs.
Mitch Marner Learns From Past History To Score Highlight Reel Goal
Bozak and van Riemsdyk were as solid as any together, and while they didn't find that ever elusive playoff success, they certainly made for some exciting hockey.
The two played with Marner from 2016-2018, but were mainstays long before Marner came around.
In 594 games for the Maple Leafs, Bozak had 365 points (136G, 229A) while playing exceptional defense and being one of the last players to play with both Marner as well as former Leafs Tomas Kaberle, Matt Stajan, and Dion Phaneuf.
Van Riemsdyk has stuck around a bit longer than Bozak, currently skating with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2025.
With Toronto, he was a dominant force with 294 points in 413 games (154G, 140A) which included a career-high 36 goals in 2018-19.
Both players left an indelible legacy here in Toronto, and while they don't necessarily get the recognition that other names get like Mats Sundin or Auston Matthews, they were both bright spots for a Maple Leafs team that went through some really rough times.
Marner seemed to have learn from some of the best minds in hockey, which can only mean good things for the Maple Leafs in the future, but for how long that future is still remains unanswered.
