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Analyst Eager to See How Mitch Marner–John Tortorella Dynamic Unfolds

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | By Jackson Weber | Last updated Apr 1, 2026 11:00 AM ET

When Mitch Marner fled Toronto for Vegas, he and everyone around the hockey world thought that would come with far less pressure and scrutiny. While that’s certainly been the case so far, the recent firing of Bruce Cassidy and hiring of John Tortorella has turned the heat up on the Golden Knights.

A 32-26-16 record through 74 games was unacceptable by their standards, and now one of the most polarizing coaches in hockey is behind the bench for the rest of the season. It won’t be an easy transition for anyone, and the guy most are curious to see how Tortorella handles is Marner, who had some issues with a similarly hard-nosed coach in Mike Babcock early in his Maple Leafs tenure.

Analyst Sid Seixeiro believes Marner needs to get his game in order for this relationship to work—and quickly:

“Bruce Cassidy fired—shocking development by Vegas. John Tortorella, more games coached than any American coach in NHL history, sixth most all-time—he is now coaching Mitch Marner. John Tortorella. I would do disgusting things to be in a film session with John Tortorella sitting next to Mitch Marner. Mitch Marner is the same guy who, when Sheldon Keefe had legitimate criticism, cried like a child and made Keefe go out the next day and take it back—he took it back. But Mitch Marner is now entering a different world. And listen, I’m glad Mitch is being left alone, going out for dinner, and walking the dog. I’m really, really happy, because this is a reminder this organization doesn’t give a damn about him, and his a**—the Vegas Golden Knights do not care about you if you aren’t doing anything for them. Mitch Marner better start to fly straight right now. That guy’s been floating around there. He’s in mid-float Leafs form—mid,”

The 28-year-old Marner was dealt to Vegas in a sign-and-trade from Toronto for Nicolas Roy before signing an eight-year, $96 million contract with the Golden Knights this summer. He’s produced 71 points (20 goals, 51 assists) in 74 games this season, his worst per-game rate since the 2017-18 campaign.

Vegas won its first game under Tortorella on Monday night against the lowly Vancouver Canucks, where Marner went pointless in just over 20 minutes of action.

Despite all of this talk, it should be noted that Tortorella has had some recent success coaching skill players like Marner. Artemi Panarin had two great seasons with him in Columbus, and while he and Matvei Michkov had their run-ins, the young Russian was far more productive in year one with Tortorella than he’s been under Rick Tocchet.

There’s no reason to believe Marner and Tortorella can’t work, but as Seixeiro mentions, there’s undoubtedly going to be a lot more eyeballs and attention on Golden Knights games for the rest of the season to see how it plays out.

This article first appeared on NHL Trade Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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