Hot Seat Radar: Maple Leafs Star Marner Will Be Feeling Heat Until Buds Have Playoff Success
We’re in the middle of the NHL’s 2024 off-season, and that means we’re continuing THN.com’s Hot Seat Radar feature. In this team-by-team series, we’re examining every NHL team, in reverse alphabetical order, and picking out one player, coach or management member on the “hot seat” – a person with no shortage of pressure to generate positive results or deal with the ramifications. Also, in every team file, we’re identifying a second person who is on the “cold seat” – someone highly likely to remain with their team until further notice.
Every once in a while, we’ll point out an individual in the space between the hot and cold seats, but in the majority of the cases for the league’s 32 teams, we’re focusing on just the hot and cold seat labels. We began the hot seat radar process Monday and since then, we’ve put the spotlight on the Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals, Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks, and the Utah Hockey Club. Today, we’re spotlighting the Toronto Maple Leafs.
MAPLE LEAFS’ HOT SEAT: MITCH MARNER, RW Is there a hotter seat than the one currently occupied by Marner? We think not. The 27-year-old winger has seen the heat on him ratchet up every season, and following last year’s letdown in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, there’s a new level of pressure on him heading into 2024-25.
