DeAngelo is a household name for hockey fans despite the fact that he is no longer in the NHL. The 29-year-old signed in the KHL this summer after failing to get another offer in the NHL. It was not a question of if he was good enough, but rather if he was a good enough person for his teammates.
The defenseman has long had character concerns associated with him, which explains why he was traded so many times in his career in North America. Despite playing just 8 years in the show, he was moved several times, ultimately playing for four teams and being bought out twice.
Now that character has shown up once again as he made a post to X for no reason other than to get under the skin of Toronto Maple Leafs fans. To be fair, he is a very good agitator, which was one of his top qualities on the ice too.
Of course, Marner was all over trade rumors this summer, but obviously, nothing came out of it. Brad Treliving won't be regretting that decision any time soon, especially after his performance last night.
The veteran winger scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the Edmonton Oilers immediately after pulling off a great defensive play. Imagine defending a 2-on-1 as a forward and the two guys coming at you are Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. That's exactly what Marner did and he handled it perfectly.
After the game, Leafs head coach Craig Berube praised Marner's game, specifically referencing the play in overtime. Granted, he did not sound particularly excited about it given his tone and deadpan delivery.
With that being said, Marner remains the club's biggest mystery. He is still a pending free agent this upcoming summer. Will the team re-sign him, or will he sign elsewhere in free agency? This will be one of the biggest stories in all of hockey this summer, so be sure to tune in for it.
POLL | ||
Do you think it would be in the best long-term interests of the Toronto Maple Leafs to trade Mitch Marner? | ||
Yes | 48 | 46.2 % |
No | 56 | 53.8 % |
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