Reports that Marner may be out of Leafs' lineup long-term

UPDATE: Marner has indeed been placed on injured reserve. 

Read below for our earlier published story.

Mitch Marner has a complicated relationship with Toronto Maple Leafs fans. The hometown boy who grew up to star for his hometown team has come under intense scrutiny over the past two seasons, due mostly to his post-season no shows against the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2020 and then against the Montreal Canadiens in 2021. Combine those efforts with the aggressive contract demands/negotiations that netted him a nearly $11 million annual deal and it's easy to see why Marner is such a target for some Leafs fans. 

Sure, he's a local boy who bleeds Blue and White... but he also fails to deliver at crunch time and, frankly, he gives off an attitude that makes it sometimes feel like he couldn't care less. To me, that's what I see most fans upset about. It's one thing to struggle, it's another to struggle and act like you don't have a care in the world. It seems like Marner has never had a bad day in his life and that's frustrating when your team continues to fall short of expectations each season.

And while it remains to be seen what happens with Marner and the Leafs this season, it appears that the team will have to forge on without him at least for the time being.

According to a report from TSN NHL insider Darren Dreger, Marner will not play in the Leafs' game tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets and may even miss a week (or two!) of action before he's ready to return.

More from Dreger:

For what it's worth, the Leafs are currently 1st place in the NHL and have been absolutely humming as of late. Sure, they'll miss Marner's playmaking ability up front, but this is a team that's on a mission in recent weeks so I don't expect their play to drop off dramatically. 

As for Marner he apparently suffered an injury after colliding with teammate Jake Muzzin in practice. Early reports were that it was nothing serious, but now Dreger is reporting that Marner is on the shelf for a week or more so who knows?

In any case, here's Marner arguing with Muzzin immediately following the collision at practice: