TRAIKOS: Don’t be surprised if Marner scores 40 goals with a shot that is more sneaky than deadly

TORONTO — The shot isn’t hard, heavy or particularly dangerous. 

He has never burned a hole through the net like Shea Weber once did or dented an opponent’s shin pad like Alex Ovechkin has in the past. He doesn’t one-time pucks like Steven Stamkos, wrist them like Auston Matthews, or even pick corners like Nikita Kucherov. But after scoring 35 goals in 72 games last season — a 40-goal pace had he stayed healthy — Mitch Marner has come out of nowhere to become one of the NHL’s deadliest snipers. 

And the Toronto Maple Leafs winger has done it with a shot that is considered more subtle than strong.

“I think he’s just unbelievable,” Matthews said of his linemate. “A lot of guy likes to shoot high and maybe he finds the little openings that are a little bit lower. But he’s not going to beat you with a hard, heavy shot. He’s going to beat you by being accurate.”

Playing on a team where Matthews led the league with 60 goals, it’s often easy to overlook how much of a scoring threat Marner was for the Leafs last season.

After all, Marner has primarily been known as a playmaker — not a scorer. He still is. But after tying for 11th in assists and 20th in goals last season, he has become both. That’s what makes him such an offensive threat these days.

In the past, Marner handled the puck as though he were always looking to deke or make a pass. As a result, he started to become predictable. Now that he’s finally shooting more, it’s opened up a world of possibilities for him.

No one knows what he’s going to do anymore. That includes goaltenders, who seemed to get caught off guard by Marner’s sneaky release.

“I mean, he’s got a great shot,” said defenceman Morgan Rielly. “I think he’s known as a playmaker and most of the time the goalie doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s very deceptive and he’s a pass-first guy, so when he keeps it and rips it, I guess people aren’t expecting it sometimes. But he has that ability to finish. he can take one-timers, he can score from a distance. it’s impressive.”

What is particularly impressive is how Marner put up his numbers. For the first three months of the season, he scored six goals and put up 21 points in 24 games. But after returning from a shoulder injury in January, something changed.

Marner became more selfish. He started shooting more. And he started to get rewarded more for his efforts.

Prior to last year, Marner had never scored more than 26 goals. In the final 48 games of last season, he scored 29 goals — a 50-goal pace that could provide a glimpse of what’s to come this season. 

While he probably won’t challenge Matthews for the Rocket Richard Trophy this year or even reaches 50 goals, a scoring title shouldn’t be ruled out after he scored 97 points last year. 

“The sky’s the limit for him,” said Matthews. “I think after he came back from his injury last year he was probably the best player in the world the rest of the year. I love playing with him. He’s incredible to be out there with and watch. With him being a shot threat and a scoring threat as well, I think it opens up a lot of space for me, because maybe he’s not deferring or looking to pass all the time. 

“And everybody knows he’s got unbelievable vision and skill to set up guys, but I think adding that element to his game makes him that much more dangerous.”

What changed with Marner? Well, the more Matthews scored, the more attention the Leafs centre received from opposing teams. As a result, Marner and Michael Bunting were left more open in the offensive zone. And after years of deferring or passing up shots, Marner finally took advantage of the opportunities.

“I think when opportunity comes around the net, last year I shot a lot more than trying to look for a pass,” said Marner. “For situations around the net, making sure I‘m not just looking to pass first all the time. Trusting my shot and trusting that I can score.”

The shoot-first mentality is something that Marner said he has been working more and more on. He knows he’ll never have a shot like Matthews, but he has made it a point to fire pucks on net — particularly the lower part — knowing that even if he doesn’t score, the puck has a chance of bouncing off the goalie’s pads and creating a rebound for one of his teammates.

“I think we just got pucks off quicker,” Marner said of him and Bunting, who scored a career-best 23 goals. “I think generally we weren’t trying to score on every shot, we were just trying to put it towards the net and get opportunities. Some of those are sneaky and some of those go in. So for us, it’s just trying to find open ice. If we have an opportunity to get to the net, get pucks there. I don’t think we shied away from that last year.”

It’s a strategy that Marner hopes to replicate in what should be another huge offensive year for both him and Matthews.

mtraikos@postmedia.com

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