Marner enjoying 'marvelous playoffs' with Golden Knights, Ferraro says

Mitch Marner has a strong supporting cast with the Vegas Golden Knights, which has contributed to his success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"He's had a marvelous playoffs, he's been awesome," ESPN hockey analyst Ray Ferraro said Thursday. "He's been the one guy that consistently, start to finish, has produced both goals and assists."

Marner leads the playoffs with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 17 games heading into Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, SN, TVAS, CBC). The Golden Knights lead the best-of-7 series 1-0.

Ferraro attributes two main reasons Marner is excelling with the Golden Knights, when at times he struggled with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"He's older (29), he's been through this many times before and I think that's helpful," Ferraro said. "Also, in Toronto, their core had never won anything and there was nobody to lean on. They were all trying to figure it out together and they kind of careened all over the road. In Vegas, they're loaded with guys that have won the Stanley Cup, and he only has to be one part of the puzzle."

Marner was traded to the Golden Knights by the Maple Leafs for forward Nicolas Roy on July 1, 2025, and signed an eight-year, $96 million contract (average annual value of $12 million). He had an assist in a 5-4 win in Game 1 on Tuesday, setting up William Karlsson at 4:35 of the second period to put Vegas ahead 3-2.

This season, Marner had 80 points (24 goals, 56 assists) in 81 games.

"Marner is an exceptional talent," Ferraro said. "He sees the game half a step ahead of most people. The play he made to Karlsson the other night would be a really good example of that. He goes in on the forecheck, he knows there's an open spot, he puts it on his tape and it's in the net. I don't think a whole lot of guys have that vision or make that play."

The Golden Knights (39-26-17) finished first in the Pacific Division and made a coaching change with eight games remaining, replacing Bruce Cassidy with John Tortorella on March 29. They eliminated the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks from the Western Conference First and Second Round, each in six games, and swept the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final. They're 20-4-1, including the playoffs, since Tortorella took over.

"When 'Torts' came in, there were eight games left and they virtually won out when he was there," Ferraro said. "All of sudden they hit the playoffs and they feel different, although they really don't look different except for (goalie) Carter Hart.

"I think Torts' approach was fresh enough to give them a little bit of a jump start."

Marner is playing right wing on the Golden Knights' second line with Karlsson at center and Brett Howden at left wing. He's benefited with Karlsson's return from a lower-body injury sustained Nov. 8, which limited him to 14 games this season.

Karlsson has six points (two goals, four assists) in 11 playoff games.

"If Mitch Marner only had 80 points in Toronto this year, it would have been a really disappointing year, that would have been the narrative," Ferraro said. "He had 80 points in Vegas and it's just fine. He had a good year, he played center for a lot of the year and Karlsson comes back, and he goes to the wing, and he just has to be one of the guys."

Vegas has 12 players on its roster who have won the Stanley Cup: defensemen Brayden McNabb, Ben Hutton and Shea Theodore; forwards Jack Eichel, Reilly Smith, Howden, Karlsson, Brandon Saad (twice), Ivan Barbashev (twice), Keegan Kolesar and Mark Stone; and goalie Adin Hill.

"In Game 1, it was Eichel's line," Ferraro said. "One game it's Karlsson's line, one game it's (Colton) Sissons' line. It just rolls over. I think the build of the team allows Marner to just do his thing and he's done it exceptionally well."