How Does Mitch Marner Impact the Vegas Golden Knights and What Else Does the Team Need to Do?
The Vegas Golden Knights made the biggest splash of the off seasonason when they traded for Mitch Marner. Chris Gollock of Locked on VGK joins us to talk about the impact of the trade and where the Golden Knights go from here. All that and more on today’s Locked on NHL podcast. You’re Locked on NHL, your daily podcast on the National Hockey League, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Gil Martin here and welcome everybody to the Monday edition of the Locked On NHL podcast, part of the Locked Podcast Network, your team every day. I want to thank everyone who makes Locked on NHL your first listen every day. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get podcasts so you never miss an episode. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new FanDuel customers can get $150 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. It is my pleasure to welcome back to the show the co-host of Locked On Vegas Golden Knights, Chris Gollick. And Chris, the the Golden Knights made the biggest splash of the off season trading for and signing Mitch Marner.
Talk to me about the impact of this move right here.
I mean, I’m sure everyone’s absolutely shocked that the Golden Knights made the biggest offseason splash. They never chase the shiny new toys or go after the biggest names in free agency or trade targets. So, I know this is groundbreaking news. Um, no, I mean, this is incredibly exciting. The Golden Knights had two choices. They could have got more depth pieces, did what they did last year, which was good enough to win a regular season banner. They won the division. Who cares? No one does. That team was not good enough come playoff time. Now, there are some injuries and a lot of things happening there, but at the end of the day, that team was not good enough as is. So, they went out and found another superstar to complement Jack Eel and the rest of that lineup. And it’s uh it’s very exciting. Where do you see like who will Mitch Mner’s likely linemates be? What you’re seeing right now is a top line being pencled of Eel, Marner, and Barbashev. I personally would prefer to see Eel and Mner on separate lines. One, because they’re both 100 point players. Of those 100 points, probably 65 to 70 of them are going to be assists. Neither one of them is really that shoot first type of player. So what I would like to see is a top line of Eel, Barbashev, and Stone, which is how it was for most of last season, injuries pending, of course, and then a second line, which really would be line 1A more than anything, of Tomas Hurdle, Pavvel Doraf, who had 34 35 goals last year, and of course Mitch Martner. that would and then your third line now really quickly ends up being Assad, Smith and Carlson and then you have Siz um Brett Hen who’s getting forgotten about right now in Kasar. So you have four really balanced lines that are really more about defense first than they are offense. Who are some of the players do you think that will benefit most from Mitch Mner and who’s going to lose some ice time and probably be a little disappointed by the addition?
Brett Houden might be the first one cuz Howen Hen’s a strange story. He had 23 combined goals I believe in his three previous seasons and then he puts up 23 goals last year with the Vegas Golden Knights. So he might have seen himself possibly being pencile in that top six and this might wind up pushing Howen down a little bit. But Hen’s the Swiss Army like knife of the Vegas Golden Knights forwards right now. He could play center on the bottom three line on the bottom three lines. He could play in the top six on the wing if he needs to. So I don’t think it’s going to impact him negatively too much. Um Smith sad they’re both cemented down on the third line. I think you’re okay there as far as players that would benefit. Um, I would love to see Doraf Fav and Mitch Mner together. Doraf Favv shoot first, sniper, very good around the net, willing to get dirty. And we know Mitch Mner’s capable of putting up 70 plus assists. Most of those hles wind up going to Dora Fiv. And then, of course, there would be Tomas Hurdle there to clean up uh the loose change in front of the net.
You you mentioned you would prefer to have Eel and Marner split up at five on five. What about on the power play?
Oh, power play. you’re loading up, right? Um, see, this is where it gets a little bit interesting because Marner’s arrival is going to force some type of change on the the top or the second, whatever top two, whatever Vegas was last year in the regular season on that power play. That original unit was some combination of Eel and Stone and Theodore and Doraf and Hurdle. So, you’re not taking Stone away from the bumper position. I don’t think Hurdle 50% FL uh plus in the faceoff dot. You’re not taking him him away from there. Jack Eel is a career 45 46%. You don’t want Ekeel taking that first uh power uh that first um face off of the power play unit. So this is where it’s going to be a little bit interesting to see how coach Cassidy manages that. But you will see Eel and Marner together. And I don’t like the idea of bumping Mark Stone off of that unit, but that might be what ends up happening unless Eel can improve in the dot.
Obviously in Toronto in particular, criticism about Marner’s playoff performance. How do you feel about that? And and does it even enter your thought process? Toronto’s irrelevant. They have won a Stanley Cup since uh before most of those books written behind you. Um, no. I mean, listen, the the Leafs haven’t been able to figure things out. And while the Leafs are much much much farther along as an organization, as like the Buffalo Sabres were, I do compare the situations where, simply put, the Leafs could not ice a team for the last 60 years or something like that to win a Stanley Cup. So, is part of that on Mner? Absolutely. And and the glass half full. Mner has 63 points in 70 career playoff games. The glass three quarters empty to according to most Leafs fans is mner disappears when it matters most in the playoffs in games 5 through seven. And to be fair, there are scoring metrics and stats that do support that claim from Leafs fans. I look at the Golden Knights right now, cover years, Leafs fans, as a much better organization as far as success goes. They’ve been to two Stanley Cup finals, four conference finals in the last eight years of their entire existence. insert comment from Leafs fans about the league uh about Gary Bman spoon feeding Vegas and organization here. Um but I think the Golden Knights are in a far better circumstance with the balance of the team, the locker room handling the front office than the Leafs. So long story longer, I compare this to the Eel situation. Ekeel gets out of Buffalo, he takes his game to another level. Martner’s been in the playoffs, so maybe there’s not as much of growth that you’ll see compared to Eel, but I do think you will see a similar upward trajectory once Mitch Martner gets uh comfortable in Vegas. One other thing that people have talked about is the the media spotlight in Toronto. Obviously, it is very very uh heavy. How will the difference between the culture in Toronto and in Vegas impact Mitch Mner?
The media cir circumstances are much different. Um I interviewed Ryan Reeves the previous year in the off season and we were it was at a charity softball event that happens every summer here in Vegas that Jack Eel puts together. Riley Smith used to put it together. Kind of had a passing of the torch but now Riley Smith is back. So that’s a complicated matter. But long story short, we were talking to Revo and he made a comment. He started he said something about the media situation is a lot different and he alluded to it being a little bit tougher. So I said, “What are you calling us soft?” He’s like, “No, no, no, no, no. There’s just more of them in in Toronto.” So, long story short, Ryan Reeves thinks the media in Vegas is a little softer than what he’s than uh what’s what’s happening in Toronto. But I think the pressure is just as tough or tougher from the front office to deliver in Vegas because of all the accolades I just mentioned. What Vegas has done in the last eight seasons. You don’t sign Marner with the aspirations of Stanley Cup or bust. A conf a trip to the conference final is not a successful season in my opinion and most likely in the opinion of Bill Foley who owns the Vegas Gold Mits. Injuries, a lot of things can change that of course. Um, but it’s Stanley Cup or bust and the team is still trying to improve. Raspus Anderson is on the table from Calgary and uh I think that’s gonna happen this week. That’s just me.
What is You talk about what still could happen. What’s the biggest need they’re looking to fill right now?
I mean, really quickly, goalending is a concern. Akira Schmidt as the backup who did not do well at the American League level last year. That’s a concern. Aiden Hill was very he was better than good. He he was he was pretty solid in the regular season. 50 appearances for the first time in his career. Good on Aiden to shake a lot of his health issues. With the loss of pitcher Angelo, you’re really missing a key cog in that defense who can put up 20 minutes a game, 20 responsible minutes. Yes, you got Hannneathan and McNab and Theodore and such, but Zack Whitecloud I don’t think is ready to make that step, which is why Rasmus Anderson is on the table, and I think he’ll be I think that deal gets done sometime in a week or two. All right, we’ll keep an eye on that and I know you’ll have it covered every step of the way. Chris, why don’t you tell our viewers and our listeners where they could find the podcast and where they could find you and your co-host on social media.
Yep. You can find me uh Arguing with Leafs fans at TD Chris G. That’s uh Touchdown TD Chris G on uh Twitter and then of course Lockdown Vegas Golden Knights on YouTube and anywhere you can uh catch your podcasts. Chris, thanks so much.
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The Vegas Golden Knights made the biggest splash of the offseason when they traded for and signed former Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner.
Chris Gawlik of Locked On VGK joins us to discuss the impact of the Marner trade, where he fits into the lineup and who benefits from and who is hurt by the trade. Plus, what else the Golden Knights are looking to do this offseason.
All this and more on today’s Locked On NHL Podcast with Gil Martin.
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