Life’s rough for the Vegas Golden Knights right now. They don’t have Jack Eichel around and have even resorted to using Mitch Marner as a center. A center! That’s an unusual position for a traditional winger, especially without their top superstar in the mix.
I know! What are you supposed to do without Eichel in this crazy world? Are you supposed to grab a big name off thetrade market with roughly $5 million? That’s a tough ask for anybody to pull off.
Still, somebody needs to pick up the slack without Eichel around. That means turning to the native of Markham, Ontario, for some help. With nine goals and 29 assists entering Saturday’s game, Golden Knights fans are expecting him to go off at some point.
And what a good opportunity that would be! Marner’s well-known for putting up numbers in the NHL. He did this during his Maple Leafs days, captivating all of Canada with his talents.
There’s a deeper dive into how Marner can do this, too. It might sound like nagging to some Golden Knights fans. After all, who doesn’t love yelling at their television screens for hockey fans to do this? But it can help mitigate the damage of not having Eichel around.
Mitch Marner must take the reins for the Vegas Golden Knights with Jack Eichel out
Vegas Golden Knights fans don’t know when Jack Eichel will return. Will he come back next week? Will he be back a month from now? It’s a good old-fashioned VGK injury designation, where the players are injured and the timelength doesn’t matter (as Drew Carey would eloquently say).
That means that the burden falls on Marner to be the marquee star for the Golden Knights. People will start paying attention to him the moment that Eichel goes down with an injury. If Marner doesn’t pick up the slack, that makes life even harder for the Golden Knights offensively.
What does that constitute? Well, shooting the puck more is a start. Fans have harped on Marner for not shooting the puck more when he’s had the chance. He’s fifth on the Golden Knights in the shots department entering Saturday (67). His career low in shots was during the 2019-20 season, when he had 154 shots on goal.
Marner’s style has changed over the years, dating back to his “Core Four” days
Now, I’m not talking about his current facilitator role with Vegas. He’s not deviating from that any time soon. However, there has been a noticeable difference in his game, starting with his shooting percentage.
Looking at his 10-year career, Marner has developed a more calculated approach to shooting the puck. Before 2021-22, he never had a shooting percentage over 13%. SInce that season, he’s hit the mark in every season (stats courtesy of MoneyPuck).
Season
Shooting Percentage
Corsi
Fenwick
High Danger xGoals
2016-17
10.8
56%
55%
4.04
2017-18
11.3
59%
57%
5.17
2018-19
11.2
56%
55%
6.23
2019-20
10.4
54%
54%
5.27
2020-21
12.8
55%
55%
9.66
2021-22
15.6
60%
60%
11.06
2022-23
15.3
56%
56%
8.66
2023-24
16.5
57%
57%
10.29
2024-25
15.6
51%
52%
11.93
2025-26
13.4
62%
64%
2.99
Over the years, his shot selection has improved. On top of that, he’s grown more in the high-danger chances department, getting key goals when called upon. That comes with a more calculated approach that has led to clutch moments.
Scoring three goals and three assists in your last three games is a terrific start. Marner fired off 13 shots in his last four games, signaling a change in the winger. It’s a promising change for a winger who’s been chastised for not taking the initiative while he was in Toronto.
Regardless, it doesn’t hurt to take more chances without Eichel hanging around for a bit. The Golden Knights need an offensive leader to take the reins without their main superstar. Fans are hoping that it’ll be the newest town magician that takes the reins.