Report: Babcock comes to the defense of Marner and Nylander

Let's be clear. While Mitch Marner and William Nylander have been slumping offensively as of late, is anyone doubting their potential as star forwards? They are part of the big 3 for the Toronto Maple Leafs along with Auston Matthews, and while there have been trade talks concerning these two sophomore players, Lou Lamoriello has them in his plans for the long-term and it's rather unlikely they go anywhere.

So, as far as their slumps go, Mike Babcock brings up an important point.

Nylander and Marner have 17 and 16 points respectively through 26 games this season, good for 0.65 and 0.62 points per game.

While they had similar paces at the same point last season, Nylander heated things up, and brought his points-per-game average to 0.75 by the end of the season, while Marner brought his up to 0.79.

Babcock seems confident they'll bring up their pace as the season intensifies, and fans should to. There's lots of hockey left to play, and this isn't the time to panic about their production, given their massive individual talent.