<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Last week, Mitch Marner became the fastest Maple Leafs player in franchise history to reach 700 points, accomplishing the feat in 622 games. His teammate and captain, Auston Matthews, is right behind him, and on pace to set a new record before season&#8217;s end. He currently sits at 684 points through 594 games at the time of writing. </span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This article isn’t about Marner’s postseason performances. I’m not speculating on his future in Toronto. It isn’t an analysis of his personality, fit within the locker room, or how Leafs fans view him. There are enough of those. This is purely a means of recognizing Marner’s most recent milestone, lest we forget in the coming weeks. </span></p>
<h2>Comparing Marner&#8217;s pace</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Marner’s 700-point pace will be a short-lived record, but that should not overshadow how impressive he has been in his career. He shattered the previous Leafs record held by </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Darryl Sittler, who took 666 games to get 700 points. Marner not only took fewer games to get there, but he is also two years younger than Sittler was when he reached 700. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Having the record within the Maple Leafs franchise is praiseworthy enough, but it becomes more impressive if you look at his points pace versus other players around the NHL. For comparison, I looked at current players–to avoid the different era, different style argument–with over 700 points. Here are some examples:</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nikita Kucherov: 700 points in 621 games</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">David Pastrnak: 700 points in 652 games</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nathan MacKinnon:700 points in 673 games</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Patrick Kane &amp; Steven Stamkos: 700 points in 696 games</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mikko Rantanen: currently at 680 points through 617 games</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I’m not arguing that Marner is better than the players listed above, but I want to put in context that his milestone is nothing to scoff at. His numbers are elite, pure and simple. He currently leads the Leafs in points and assists. He also sits third in the NHL in takeaways (36) behind just two elite defenders, Jaccob Slavin and Cale Makar. </span></p>
<h2>The great Marner/Matthews debate</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some will argue that Marner wouldn’t have the same numbers if not for playing alongside Matthews, but the stats disagree with that notion. Marner has played in 69 games without Matthews in his career. In those 69 games, he has 26 goals and 60 assists. That is a better points-per-game pace than with Matthews. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While that doesn’t make it indisputable that the two superstars are better apart than together, there is a reason the debate seems to rage on amongst fans perpetually. It is true that both players certainly have the skill to drive their own lines. It is also true that when Marner is not with Matthews, his play just looks different. He feels like a different player. He looks aggressively offensively, whereas, with Matthews, it often feels he prioritizes setting up his buddy. Whether any of that is based on truth or just conspiratorial fan theory, the narrative continues to grow.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It is difficult to judge either player independently. Marner’s talent can get easily overlooked because he plays with the best goal scorer in the NHL. Go back to their first NHL game when Matthews scored four goals if you want a textbook example. The pair’s careers have intertwined since they both stepped on the ice in 2016. </span></p>
<h2>Marner&#8217;s future</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ultimately, Marner’s career totals will depend on his longevity. At age 27, he may just be entering the prime of his career. Given his age and health, there is little reason to doubt he will maintain or exceed his current level of play.  At his current points pace, he would hit 1,000 points in game 886. For reference, Alex Ovechkin hit 1,000 points in game 880. Patrick Kane took 953 games to get there, and Stamkos was just a hair quicker at 945 games.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In all likelihood, Marner’s franchise record won’t last long. Barring some unexpected setback, Matthews will surpass the mark before season’s end. That shouldn’t take away from Marner’s achievements, though. Instead, I look at it as a generational outlier. In the 100-year-plus history of the Maple Leafs organization, two teammates setting a new standard in the same season is unheard of. Let&#8217;s appreciate what we have now.</span></p>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Last week, Mitch Marner became the fastest Maple Leafs player in franchise history to reach 700 points, accomplishing the feat in 622 games. His teammate and captain, Auston Matthews, is right behind him, and on pace to set a new record before season's end. He currently sits at 684 points through 594 games at the time of writing. </span>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2106" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="324"></div>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">This article isn’t about Marner’s postseason performances. I’m not speculating on his future in Toronto. It isn’t an analysis of his personality, fit within the locker room, or how Leafs fans view him. There are enough of those. This is purely a means of recognizing Marner’s most recent milestone, lest we forget in the coming weeks. </span>
<h2>Comparing Marner's pace</h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Marner’s 700-point pace will be a short-lived record, but that should not overshadow how impressive he has been in his career. He shattered the previous Leafs record held by </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Darryl Sittler, who took 666 games to get 700 points. Marner not only took fewer games to get there, but he is also two years younger than Sittler was when he reached 700. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Having the record within the Maple Leafs franchise is praiseworthy enough, but it becomes more impressive if you look at his points pace versus other players around the NHL. For comparison, I looked at current players–to avoid the different era, different style argument–with over 700 points. Here are some examples:</span>
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nikita Kucherov: 700 points in 621 games</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">David Pastrnak: 700 points in 652 games</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nathan MacKinnon:700 points in 673 games</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Patrick Kane &amp; Steven Stamkos: 700 points in 696 games</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mikko Rantanen: currently at 680 points through 617 games</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">I’m not arguing that Marner is better than the players listed above, but I want to put in context that his milestone is nothing to scoff at. His numbers are elite, pure and simple. He currently leads the Leafs in points and assists. He also sits third in the NHL in takeaways (36) behind just two elite defenders, Jaccob Slavin and Cale Makar. </span>
<h2>The great Marner/Matthews debate</h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Some will argue that Marner wouldn’t have the same numbers if not for playing alongside Matthews, but the stats disagree with that notion. Marner has played in 69 games without Matthews in his career. In those 69 games, he has 26 goals and 60 assists. That is a better points-per-game pace than with Matthews. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">While that doesn’t make it indisputable that the two superstars are better apart than together, there is a reason the debate seems to rage on amongst fans perpetually. It is true that both players certainly have the skill to drive their own lines. It is also true that when Marner is not with Matthews, his play just looks different. He feels like a different player. He looks aggressively offensively, whereas, with Matthews, it often feels he prioritizes setting up his buddy. Whether any of that is based on truth or just conspiratorial fan theory, the narrative continues to grow.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It is difficult to judge either player independently. Marner’s talent can get easily overlooked because he plays with the best goal scorer in the NHL. Go back to their first NHL game when Matthews scored four goals if you want a textbook example. The pair’s careers have intertwined since they both stepped on the ice in 2016. </span>
<h2>Marner's future</h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ultimately, Marner’s career totals will depend on his longevity. At age 27, he may just be entering the prime of his career. Given his age and health, there is little reason to doubt he will maintain or exceed his current level of play.  At his current points pace, he would hit 1,000 points in game 886. For reference, Alex Ovechkin hit 1,000 points in game 880. Patrick Kane took 953 games to get there, and Stamkos was just a hair quicker at 945 games.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">In all likelihood, Marner’s franchise record won’t last long. Barring some unexpected setback, Matthews will surpass the mark before season’s end. That shouldn’t take away from Marner’s achievements, though. Instead, I look at it as a generational outlier. In the 100-year-plus history of the Maple Leafs organization, two teammates setting a new standard in the same season is unheard of. Let's appreciate what we have now.</span>

<strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong>
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