Mitch Marner had a Connor McDavid problem before Auston Matthews arrived, says Steve Dangle
Analyst Steve Dangle thinks Mitch Marner‘s rivalry with Connor McDavid before his draft shaped how he viewed his NHL career long before Auston Matthews arrived in Toronto.
Speaking on the SDPN podcast, Dangle claimed people around Marner constantly compared him with McDavid during their youth hockey days. He suggested those comparisons later shifted toward Matthews after Toronto drafted the franchise center.
“They grew up playing elite hockey against Connor McDavid,” Dangle said. “I know for a fact people around him were obsessed with Connor McDavid. Obsessed with him.”
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Dangle continued by describing how Toronto’s changing timeline fueled another comparison.
“He finally gets drafted by the Leafs. He’s the future of the Leafs,” Dangle said. “And then Auston arrives. And you found a new thing to hate.”
Adam Wylde responded by saying, “Not Mitch though, Mitch and him are friends.”
Dangle pushed back on that claim.
“What a horrible friend,” Dangle said. “With friends like that, who needs enemies? … What a crazy thing for a friend to do.”
Marner and McDavid were longtime rivals in OHL before entering the NHL together in 2015. McDavid went first overall to Edmonton, while Toronto selected Marner fourth overall. They later became teammates for Team Canada during the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Marner also spent nine seasons alongside Matthews in Toronto. The duo connected on 268 goals, the most by any pair in Maple Leafs history. Marner finished with 741 points in 657 regular-season games before joining the Vegas Golden Knights in 2025.
Comparisons followed Mitch Marner throughout his Toronto career
Dangle’s comments come days after Marner’s agent, Darren Ferris, criticized Toronto’s handling of his client. Ferris argued the organization failed to protect Marner from constant scrutiny and harassment, after back-to-back playoff disappointments for 9 straight seasons.
“Frankly, as time went on, he became the focus of everything,” Ferris said. “Scrutinized for every game. Him and his family criticized after every loss, receiving threats on social media, which was disturbing.”
Ferris also revealed Marner played through a fractured ankle during the playoff series against Boston in 2024. The Leafs lost that series 3-4, exiting in the first round.
“He really bled for that team, and he was never protected by his organization in my opinion,” Ferris added.
Comparisons are unavoidable for elite players. McDavid became the league’s standard, while Matthews became Toronto’s franchise centerpiece after arriving in 2016. Marner’s production remained elite, but every postseason disappointment intensified those comparisons.
But since then, his move to Vegas has changed the conversation. Marner helped the Golden Knights reach the 2026 Stanley Cup Final and answered many playoff questions, as he led the postseason scoring with 29 points.
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Still, Dangle’s comments suggest the pressure surrounding Marner began before Matthews entered the picture, but it only grew once another franchise superstar arrived in Toronto.
