Report: Babcock offers surprising criticism of Marner

There’s no denying Mitch Marner’s slump. The Toronto Maple Leafs sophomore has gone six games without a point, despite playing a solid game on the team’s most recent Western road trip.

TSN’s Mark Masters caught up with Marner after Leafs practice yesterday and got the youngster to open up about his lack of puck luck.

“Ah, yeah, well it sucks," said Marner. "I mean, there’s chances I’ve had that probably should go in that don’t, but it’s about trying to do the right things and making sure you’re there defensively and I think the scoring will come so you just got to be patient with it.”

It’s true that Marner has been getting his chances… but the longer he goes without hitting the scoresheet, the brighter the spotlight will burn on him. So, what does Leafs head coach think of Marner’s poor luck?

“I don’t believe in luck," said Babcock. "I believe in preparation. When you do enough work you get lucky, that kind of thing. So, to me, worry about things you can control. You can control your work ethic and just get to work. That’s it.” 

Take that however you want. Is it a veiled criticism of Marner? Babcock has made it clear that he’s a fan of Marner’s work ethic… but maybe he sees things starting to slip?