Leafs: Auston Matthews a Gift and a Curse to Mitch Marner

Will Mitch Marner become the Andrew Ridgeley of “Wham!” while Auston Matthews evolves into George Michael or can they co-exist as equals for the Leafs, like Mick and Keith?

Ordinarily, when you are a high first round draft pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs, you are handed the keys to the franchise for the next decade. When Toronto selected Mitch Marner fourth overall in the 2015 NHL entry draft, all signs pointed towards him being the corner stone for the Leaf’s rebuild and becoming the city’s next golden boy.

That all changed on June 24 this year, when Toronto drafted Auston Matthews with the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. The drafting of Matthews and his early success will be seen as both a gift and a curse for Marner’s career.

You have to wonder if Marner will be comfortable playing the role of Ed McMahon while Matthews is Johnny Carson for the next 10 years. Will Marner become the Andrew Ridgeley of “Wham!” while Matthews evolves into George Michael, or will they be able to co-exist as equals for many years, like Mick and Keith?

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The gift of Matthews presence in Toronto will allow Marner to fly a little bit more under the radar than most high first round picks of the Leafs’ past. The weight of the city’s hopes will never have to lie solely on his shoulders like it may have been, had the Leafs not had the chance to get Matthews as well.

Marner will be allowed to develop his game at a much more comfortable pace, which isn’t always the case for a top five pick in any sport; especially in the Mecca of hockey. With the 19 year-old Matthews in the line-up, the Leafs had no choice but to commit to the 100 percent rebuild process this season, allowing Marner and several other young prospects the opportunity to play with the big club.

If Matthews isn’t here, the scenario changes for Marner. Instead, he would probably play just a handful of games in Toronto before being sent back to the London Knights until December, where he would’ve joined the World Junior squad.

During Mike Babcock’s tenure as head coach in Detroit, it was his and the Red Wings organizational philosophy that all young players do their tour of duty in the AHL for at least a season or two, no matter how high they were drafted. Justin Abdelkader, Riley Sheahan and Brendan Smith were all first round picks under Babcock in Detroit and all three played at least parts of two or more seasons in Grand Rapids, before earning a permanent place with the big club.

The Leafs have had a similar philosophy with their young players for several decades (see William Nylander). As such, it’s fair to assume Marner would have had a similar fate if not for Matthews being in the Leafs line-up.

The curse of having Matthews in the same line-up, means Marner’s career success will be measured up against a once in a generation talent. If Marner scores 30 goals as a rookie but his teammate scores 50, will he receive the same kind of praise and attention he would’ve received sans Matthews being in town?

Janet Jackson won five Grammys and 12 American Music Awards while Michael won 13 Grammys and 26 American Music Awards. As such, there is a common perception that Janet has had a “really good” career while Michael is……Michael.

Next: Matthews, Marner & Rielly key to the future

Some athletes are comfortable playing their careers as second fiddle to the great ones, just like certain singers are comfortable simply getting a co-writing credit on “Careless Whispers.” Only time will tell which of these roles Marner will be comfortable fulfilling over the course of his career.