1 goal, 0 assists, -3 in 3 games played.
That’s Mitch Marner’s stat line to conclude round-robin play at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament for Team Canada. After two games, Mitch was moved to a checking line with Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli and found himself a -1 in 12:46 of TOI in a <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/6-takeaways-canada-finland-mcdavid-different-level-crosby-rescue">must-win game</a> against Finland. The second-least minutes played of all players on Team Canada and if not for his 1:05 of penalty killing, it could have been even less.
Going into the 4 Nations Face-Off, it was a foregone conclusion that Marner would be joining Team Canada in the tournament. Top offensive talent who can kill penalties at the NHL level was certainly a guy that Canada would be looking for, but his inability to create alongside Connor McDavid, the urge to shrink when a game gets tough like it did against the US on Saturday night, and the struggle to adapt to a bottom-six role has pushed him down the totem pole. Given that this Canadian management and coaching staff is likely the group to lead the team in Milan, Italy in 2026, Mitch Marner’s security with Team Canada may be at its all-time lowest point.
Mitch isn’t the only one of the three Maple Leaf superstars to pull the Houdini act at the 4 Nations tournament, as pointed out by Jay Rosehill and Nick Alberga on Leafs Morning Take, but it’s gone deeper than just wondering where their offence has gone to… there’s concern about the DNA of the big boys.
“Neither of those players in Mitch and Auston are the guys that just break through and lead the charge and say get on my back” said Jay Rosehill following a disappointing performance from both on<a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/6-takeaways-canada-usa-thriller-mayhem-montreal-guentzel-larkin-elevate"> Saturday night.</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
&quot;Neither of those players, in Mitch and Auston, are the guys that just break through and lead the charge&#8230;&quot;
Are you concerned about your Maple Leafs results during the Four Nations?<a href="https://twitter.com/thegoldenmuzzy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thegoldenmuzzy</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Jay_D_Rosehill?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jay_D_Rosehill</a> 
Presented by <a href="https://twitter.com/CharmDiamonds?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CharmDiamonds</a> <a href="https://t.co/N0mqoi4iSp">pic.twitter.com/N0mqoi4iSp</a>
&mdash; TheLeafsNation (@TLNdc) <a href="https://twitter.com/TLNdc/status/1891632808063275329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The concern amongst Leafs fans watching this tournament is legitimate. Players who seem to lack the ability to rise to the moment for their NHL clubs are doing it yet again on the international stage and are being outshined by players like Brandon Hagel, Dylan Larkin, and Jake Guentzel who don’t get thrown into the same conversations as the Leafs big boys ever. Watching them struggle like this is concerning for their respective countries, but also for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Looking around there’s at least some discourse for each player that can be somewhat understood… William Nylander was stuck with Mika Zibanejad, who is really struggling for the Rangers, Matthews is clearly still fighting through some type of injury &#8211; why he’s doing that is another story &#8211; but his impact defensively has at least been noticed. Marner, on the other hand, was handed the keys to the Ferrari in Connor McDavid and hasn&#8217;t done anything with it outside of his<a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/mitch-marner-scores-ot-winner-canada-thrilling-win-sweden-4-nations-face-off"> overtime winner</a> against Sweden.
Of the three, Marner’s inability to generate has stood out the most and seems like it would cause the most concern for the Canadian coaching staff making any decisions going forward. Keep in mind that Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini will be knocking on the door, Mark Scheifele, Robert Thomas, Tom Wilson, and Zach Hyman were left off this year’s team and it seems highly unlikely Hyman isn’t put back on McDavid’s wing next February. Who knows who else comes out of the woodwork? You can only score 99 points in the regular season so many times before people decide that your true identity is the guy who doesn’t show up on the big stage.
Oh, by the way, the OT goal is not cause for celebration with Marner. 3 on 3 doesn’t happen in the Olympics or in the playoffs. He’s scored those before and he’ll score those again.
One final shot to change people’s minds Thursday night.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@daily_faceoff"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-138774" src="https://i0.wp.com/publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2099/08/Article-727x404-1.png?resize=728%2C405&#038;ssl=1" alt="" width="728" height="405" /></a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@daily_faceoff">Daily Faceoff Live</a> is on the road! From February 10th to 20th, we’re bringing you live shows every weekday straight from Four Nations, delivering exclusive coverage, insider analysis, and all the tournament action as it unfolds. Don’t miss a beat—subscribe to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@daily_faceoff">Daily Faceoff YouTube channel</a> and follow us on social for the latest updates. It’s international hockey, so expect intensity, excitement, and maybe even a little chaos. Stay locked in and catch us live from Four Nations!

Mitch Marner Team Canada 4 Nations Face-Off

1 goal, 0 assists, -3 in 3 games played.

That’s Mitch Marner’s stat line to conclude round-robin play at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament for Team Canada. After two games, Mitch was moved to a checking line with Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli and found himself a -1 in 12:46 of TOI in a <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/6-takeaways-canada-finland-mcdavid-different-level-crosby-rescue">must-win game</a> against Finland. The second-least minutes played of all players on Team Canada and if not for his 1:05 of penalty killing, it could have been even less.

Going into the 4 Nations Face-Off, it was a foregone conclusion that Marner would be joining Team Canada in the tournament. Top offensive talent who can kill penalties at the NHL level was certainly a guy that Canada would be looking for, but his inability to create alongside Connor McDavid, the urge to shrink when a game gets tough like it did against the US on Saturday night, and the struggle to adapt to a bottom-six role has pushed him down the totem pole. Given that this Canadian management and coaching staff is likely the group to lead the team in Milan, Italy in 2026, Mitch Marner’s security with Team Canada may be at its all-time lowest point.

Mitch isn’t the only one of the three Maple Leaf superstars to pull the Houdini act at the 4 Nations tournament, as pointed out by Jay Rosehill and Nick Alberga on Leafs Morning Take, but it’s gone deeper than just wondering where their offence has gone to… there’s concern about the DNA of the big boys.

“Neither of those players in Mitch and Auston are the guys that just break through and lead the charge and say get on my back” said Jay Rosehill following a disappointing performance from both on<a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/6-takeaways-canada-usa-thriller-mayhem-montreal-guentzel-larkin-elevate"> Saturday night.</a>

https://twitter.com/TLNdc/status/1891632808063275329

The concern amongst Leafs fans watching this tournament is legitimate. Players who seem to lack the ability to rise to the moment for their NHL clubs are doing it yet again on the international stage and are being outshined by players like Brandon Hagel, Dylan Larkin, and Jake Guentzel who don’t get thrown into the same conversations as the Leafs big boys ever. Watching them struggle like this is concerning for their respective countries, but also for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Looking around there’s at least some discourse for each player that can be somewhat understood… William Nylander was stuck with Mika Zibanejad, who is really struggling for the Rangers, Matthews is clearly still fighting through some type of injury - why he’s doing that is another story - but his impact defensively has at least been noticed. Marner, on the other hand, was handed the keys to the Ferrari in Connor McDavid and hasn't done anything with it outside of his<a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/mitch-marner-scores-ot-winner-canada-thrilling-win-sweden-4-nations-face-off"> overtime winner</a> against Sweden.

Of the three, Marner’s inability to generate has stood out the most and seems like it would cause the most concern for the Canadian coaching staff making any decisions going forward. Keep in mind that Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini will be knocking on the door, Mark Scheifele, Robert Thomas, Tom Wilson, and Zach Hyman were left off this year’s team and it seems highly unlikely Hyman isn’t put back on McDavid’s wing next February. Who knows who else comes out of the woodwork? You can only score 99 points in the regular season so many times before people decide that your true identity is the guy who doesn’t show up on the big stage.

Oh, by the way, the OT goal is not cause for celebration with Marner. 3 on 3 doesn’t happen in the Olympics or in the playoffs. He’s scored those before and he’ll score those again.

One final shot to change people’s minds Thursday night.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@daily_faceoff"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-138774" src="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2099/08/Article-727x404-1.png" alt="" width="728" height="405" /></a>

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@daily_faceoff">Daily Faceoff Live</a> is on the road! From February 10th to 20th, we’re bringing you live shows every weekday straight from Four Nations, delivering exclusive coverage, insider analysis, and all the tournament action as it unfolds. Don’t miss a beat—subscribe to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@daily_faceoff">Daily Faceoff YouTube channel</a> and follow us on social for the latest updates. It’s international hockey, so expect intensity, excitement, and maybe even a little chaos. Stay locked in and catch us live from Four Nations!

TLN After Dark: Is Mitch Marner playing himself out of the 2026 Olympics?

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