The Toronto Maple Leafs were widely expected to be one of the top Stanley Cup contenders in the NHL again this season, despite their recent inability to make it out of the first round of the playoffs. But they have struggled to open the 2022-23 season, crawling out to a 4-4-2 record in their first ten games, and one player who has struggled badly in the early going is Mitch Marner.

Marner has cemented himself as a huge part of the Maple Leafs top line, and is coming off the best season of his career, in which he racked up 97 points in 72 games. But Marner has just two goals and nine total points through ten games, and was benched in the Maple Leafs latest loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Marner was seen smashing his stick in frustration, and opened up on his slow start to the season after Toronto's tough loss.

Via Mark Masters:

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“Mitch Marner on smashing stick after costly turnover: ‘Sometimes you got to take some frustration out … I’m a passionate player … I put a lot of pressure on myself & I wasn’t happy with that second turnover especially'”

Marner's frustration is certainly reasonable, as the Maple Leafs haven't gotten off to the start they were expected to in the early going. There's still time for them to turn things around, but Marner is going to have to figure things out. Toronto relies heavily on their top line for production, and that includes Marner, who has formed quite the tandem alongside Auston Matthews. In order for the top line to get going, Marner needs to break his slump, and he will be looking to do so in Toronto's upcoming games.