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Feb 25, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) during warm ups before the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images
Mitch Marner, notably a former Toronto Maple Leaf, has been getting a lot of hate for his ineffectiveness in the latter stages of the Stanley Cup Final for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Auston Matthews, still the Toronto Maple Leafs captain, managed to catch some stray hate due to Marner's performance.
Marner had 28 points through 19 games of the playoffs, then just one point in the final three games with a minus-5 in his time on the ice.
Someone obviously didn't think Marner deserved all the hate, though.
They pointed out that Matthews is a miserable Game 7 player, having appeared in six of them and never won or scored.
Here's that full post on X:
Toronto Maple Leafs CAPTAIN Auston Matthews in SIX Game 7's in his ENTIRE NHL career:
Zero goals. Zero wins.
Auston Matthews did not speak to the media last night. https://t.co/cOjRTa8Qvi
MORE: Mitch Marner can't quite escape the haters
It's certainly well played.
It's also a reminder that in all those discussions about Marner's playoff struggles, he wasn't alone in them. Matthews both had a similar issue and very well may have played a part in why Marner couldn't be more productive in those games.
Marner wanted out of Toronto last offseason, and he got his wish with a sign-and-trade to Vegas.
The Golden Knights went further this season than Marner ever went with the Leafs, but in the end, they came up short.
Marner will still have to keep proving the doubters wrong. Matthews will try to do the same in the season ahead.
Maple Leafs fans will be watching both closely to see if they can shake off the struggle and find their groove in the biggest games. If they can't, their careers will feel just a bit more disappointing.
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