After practice on Wednesday, Mitch Marner discussed his meeting with Sheldon Keefe about the head coach’s comments on his top players’ performance in the loss to Arizona, Jake Muzzin’s injury, and old London Knights teammate Victor Mete entering the lineup.
Sheldon Keefe said the other night that the top guys are struggling still to get into a rhythm. How are you feeling after four games this season?
Marner: Obviously, it takes a little bit to get going, but we feel good about where we are. A lot of stuff happens behind these doors when [the media] isn’t here and the fans aren’t here. We talk about all of that stuff. We know what we need to do to be successful.
When you hear the coach say, “We need the elite players to be elite players,” what goes through your mind?
Marner: I talked to him today. He explained what he meant to say, how it came out, and everything like that. I will leave it at that. Like I said, we have closed doors here for a reason. We have talks without you guys for a reason.
We had that talk today. We understand. We are grown men.
Why did you have that conversation with the coach today? Did you bring it up? Did you think it was something you needed to address with him?
Marner: Not at all. He called us in. We had a talk. It was all good. That is part of this game — talking to one another and explaining what you meant. I don’t think anyone was hurt by the comments or anything like that.
Who is “us”?
Marner: The leadership guys. I don’t know who else he talked to, but he talked to me for sure. It is all good.
You said you are pretty content with where you’re at right now. We’ve seen Michael Bunting leave the line in the last game. What, in particular, are you happy with, and where do you see opportunity for growth with the line?
Marner: I think it’s all of us being more of a threat. When you have a goal scorer like Auston, they want to talk away his time and space in the o-zone. For Bunts and I, we have to make sure that when that is happening, we take our ice, take it more to the net, and challenge the opponents one-on-one a little bit more.
I think we did that better last game. We have to infiltrate the inside a little bit more. It will come.
What is your sense of how Jake Muzzin is holding up?
Marner: He is doing what he can do. For him, it is just making sure that if he does come back and play this year, or whatever happens, he is going to be able to do whatever he wants to do for the rest of his life and enjoy the time with his family and his kids. I think that is the most important thing.
Obviously, on the ice for us, he is a big missing piece. He does a lot for us on and off the ice with his calmness on the ice when he has the puck, on the penalty kill, and the leadership he brings. It is definitely a big piece that we will be missing.
Life off the ice is always the most important, and your family.
You know Victor Mete pretty well from your time in London. What can he bring to the lineup?
Marner: A lot. He has a great stick. He has great wheels on him, so he can get up and down the ice very well. He is not afraid to block shots as well. He works with our system pretty well with how we like to get our D active, jumping in, and joining the rush to make odd numbers. We are excited to get him going. He is excited to be a part of it, too.
