NHL.com's fantasy staff continues to cover the latest trends and storylines in the League through the lens of NHL EDGE puck and player tracker stats. Today, we look at the underlying metrics behind Mitch Marner joining the Vegas Golden Knights.
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Mitch Marner has been traded to and signed by the Vegas Golden Knights, boosting their offense and special teams to re-establish them as one of the top Stanley Cup contenders.
Marner, who signed an eight-year contract with Vegas after being acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs, set career highs in points (102; fifth in NHL) and assists (75; third) last season and finished tied for third in the NHL in multipoint games (32). The 28-year-old has averaged 29.5 goals and 95.7 points over his past four seasons and could form one of the best duos in the NHL with center Jack Eichel in Vegas.
Marner ranks eighth in the NHL in points (383 in 302 games) since 2021-22, has had at least 90 points in three of his past four seasons and five of his nine seasons since the Maple Leafs drafted him with the No. 4 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. He played 657 games with the Maple Leafs and became the fastest player in their history to reach 600 points (548 games).
Marner has 63 points (13 goals, 50 assists) in 70 career Stanley Cup Playoff games but has only scored eight goals in his past 50 postseason games. The Maple Leafs only won two playoff rounds with Marner despite qualifying for the postseason in each of his nine seasons.
Marner joins the Golden Knights, who have made the playoffs in seven of their eight seasons, and have 12 series wins over that span, including two Stanley Cup Final appearances and a Stanley Cup title in 2023. Here are three underlying reasons a change of scenery for Marner could help the Golden Knights contend for another championship:
1. Skating distance at all strengths; two-way play
Marner finished eighth among forwards last season in total miles skated at all strengths (269.39). He ranked just outside the top 10 at his position in miles skated on the penalty kill (26.00; 97th percentile) and was among the leaders in miles skated on the power play (33.26; 93rd percentile). Marner has ranked highly at his position in all three of those categories since 2021-22, the start of the NHL's puck and player tracking era:
2023-24:
• All strengths (221.09 miles; 85th percentile)
• Power play (29.49 miles; 85th percentile)
• Penalty kill (20.09 miles; 88th percentile)
2022-23:
• All strengths (266.73 miles; eighth in NHL)
• Power play (39.16 miles; 95th percentile)
• Penalty kill (27.81 miles; eighth)
2021-22:
• All strengths (237.45; 96th percentile)
• Power play (31.20; 93rd percentile)
• Penalty kill (22.04; 94th percentile)
Marner, who ranked in the 96th percentile in top skating speed (23.56 mph) among forwards last season, was tied for 10th in the NHL with 33 power-play points, one behind his new teammate Eichel (34; tied for seventh). Since 2021-22, Marner is tied for 14th in the NHL with 121 power-play points and tied for 17th in shorthanded points (12) over 302 regular-season games. Vegas had the second-best power play percentage (28.2) in the NHL last season but ranked 26th on the penalty kill (75.7 percent), an area that Marner can help improve.
The Golden Knights led the NHL in offensive zone time percentage on the power play (62.1) last season. Marner ranked in the 77th percentile (60.2 percent) among forwards in that category last season, was in the 91st percentile (62.2) at his position in 2022-23 and ranked fifth League-wide in 2021-22 (63.6).
