Maple Leafs react to Mitch Marner becoming the fastest in team history to 700 career points

Marner reached the feat in 622 career games, which easily surpassed Darryl Sittler’s previous record of 666 games. The assist came at a critical time as it helped tie the game up late in the third period, before adding another on William Nylander’s overtime winner.

When asked after the game what it meant to him to become the fastest in the franchise’s history to hit 700 points, Marner was quick to credit his teammates for helping him get there.

“It’s a cool milestone,” he said. “ It doesn’t happen without a lot of support around you through the nine years that I’ve been here, so I’m very fortunate.  There’s some really great players and some guys that have made it easy for me to do my job. So thank you for the guys that are around me. Nothing’s really done by yourself.”

Marner may be a divisive figure among fans, but there is no denying his game-breaking talent and how much of an impact he can make for the Leafs at both ends of the ice. He’s a three-time All-Star who is often on the ice in all situations, though it is playmaking abilities that remain his best attribute, as 493 of his points have been assists.

With the opportunity to surpass the 100-point plateau for the first time in his career beginning to emerge, he no doubt has another gear in him to propel his game to further heights.

“It was great,” captain Auston Matthews said of Marner’s accomplishment. “ I thought it was a competitive game. There wasn’t a lot of space there. We really had to work for everything that we got. That’s what he does.  He makes big-time plays when we need them, and he definitely did that tonight.”

His stay atop the leaderboard could be shortlived as Matthews is 17 points away from career point number 700 and he has played in 593 games. But make no mistake: this is an impressive achievement that deserves to be celebrated because it is another reminder of just how fortunate Leafs fans are to be witnessing such talent on a nightly basis.

The future for him beyond this season remains uncertain, and a lot of it hinges on how the playoffs go for the Leafs. For now, the team can sit back and celebrate Marner’s success and appreciate all that he has given to the team throughout his nine seasons in Toronto. And if he remains in the fold past this season, he has the chance to become only the fourth player in franchise history to reach 800 career points.

“Yeah, that’s pretty incredible,” head coach Craig Berube said of the feat. “I just found out after the game that’s the fastest in Leafs history. He’s a heck of a player, you all know that. You’ve seen him a lot more than me over the years. There’s not much he can’t do, in terms of the game.”

Marner will look to continue his climb up the franchise leaderboards when he and the Leafs face the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.