Points per game: Mitch Marner performs better without Auston Matthews in the lineup.

Dose
Crédit: TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 15: Auston Matthews #34 and Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skate against the Buffalo Sabres during the third period at the Scotiabank Arena on December 15, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)

Once again this season, true to their habits, the Toronto Maple Leafs are having an excellent regular season.

They are currently in first place in the Atlantic Division ahead of the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, and in 6th place overall in the NHL.

In short, things are going very well in Toronto, even though Auston Matthews has been injured quite often this season, missing 12 games.

Everything is going smoothly for the Maple Leafs even without Auston Matthews, who will miss a few more games in the coming days.

In fact, he will not play tonight, but he skated for a few minutes during the optional practice this morning.

In short, even though Matthews is not healthy this season, the Leafs are performing, and in fact, they perform even better than usual when number 34 is not in the lineup.

Just ask Mitch Marner, who is having the best season of his career right now, with Matthews out of the lineup quite often.

Marner actually produces more when Matthews is not in the lineup.

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Indeed, it really seems that Marner steps out of his shell even more when he becomes the best player on the team, while Matthews is on the bench.

Marner is currently playing the best hockey of his career, as he is THE star of the Maple Leafs when Matthews is absent.

With his 49 points, including 13 goals, in 36 games, the number 16 of the Leafs is on pace for 111 points, which would be his best season ever, and his first with 100 points or more.

And when we analyze it further, we see that this season, 10 of Marner’s 13 goals were scored while Matthews was not in the lineup.

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Additionally, in 8 of the 12 games without Matthews, Marner has scored more than one point.

In short, Marner really seems to be at his best when Matthews is not around, which clearly increases the market value of number 16 of the Leafs.

Let’s remember that Marner still does not have a contract for the next season, so it’s a situation to keep a close eye on.

The Leafs forward is currently making about $10.9 million per season, and if he continues like this, he will certainly be entitled to ask for a raise.

In short, when Matthews the sniper is not there, Marner seems to play with much more freedom and ease, without the pressure to make number 34 produce.

Marner thinks more about scoring than finding Matthews, which really seems to help his production.

In Brief

– Very bad news for Canada.

– Noteworthy with the Leafs. Auston Matthews was wearing a gray jersey.

– For those interested.

– Here is new information about the CF Montréal’s recent acquisition.