Former Maple Leaf Defends Mitch Marner: "I'll Go To Bat For Mitchy!"

For the Toronto Maple Leafs, it's fair to say that Mitch Marner has become the whipping boy for all of the team's problems. Fans seem unified in their belief that he should be traded rather than re-signed as he heads into the final year of his contract.

Should the Leafs really be moving on from the perennial 90+ point man, the club's top playmaker and one of the top 25 players in hockey? Will that solve everything and finally vault the team onto a long playoff run?

Former Leaf defenseman Zach Bogosian, who played with Marner for a season in 2020-21, can't understand that line of thinking.

Speaking on The Cam & Strick Podcast, Bogosian was all about sticking up for his former teammate.

I'll go to bat for Mitchy. I don't understand why everyone is always up his ass about everything. That kid is such a good kid, he's a good leader, he's always trying to take care of everyone in the locker room.

Zach Bogosian goes to bat for Mitch Marner #LeafsForever ⁦@CamandStrick⁩ pic.twitter.com/aUac8bSIzT
— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) August 13, 2024

"It's almost like he's the scapegoat, the lightning rod for everyone to say, 'this is the problem'," continued Bogosian.

"I've played with a lot of guys. He is as good of a person and a teammate as I've ever seen. A lot of people give him sh*t about this and that... But, he's trying everything".

Marner, of course, has a full no-move clause, so the ball is really in his court about whether he would want to move on, and from all indications thus far, he intends to play out his $10.9 million contract this coming season in his hometown of Toronto.

The Leafs are making one other huge move official on Wednesday, naming their new captain.