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Mitch Marner Demoted Yet Again By Team Canada Ahead of Meeting With Finland

Originally posted on Maple Leafs Daily | By Mike Armenti | Last updated Feb 17, 2025 1:54 PM ET

Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner has been demoted for the second time by Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off after underwhelming performance against USA.

Oh, how quickly things can change. Just a few days after playing the overtime hero for Team Canada against Team Sweden to open the 4 Nations Face-Off, Mitch Marner found himself slipping down the depth chart after a weak showing against a dangerous Team USA.

In the 3rd period of Saturday night's clash with the U.S., Marner found himself and linemate Sam Reinhart shifted down to the second line with Nathan MacKinnon.

While not really much of a demotion when you go from playing with Connor McDavid to Nathan MacKinnon, the demotion Marner has received ahead of Monday's game against Finland was a more significant one.

According to several reports, Marner has been bumped all the way down to the 3rd line, playing with Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel.

Marner, a more defensively responsible winger, could be a better fit on the 3rd line in the eyes of head coach Jon Cooper, who recently sung Marner's praises to the media at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Marner has also been assigned penalty killing duties for Canada, so his ice time will likely stay up based on his special teams usage.

This article first appeared on Maple Leafs Daily and was syndicated with permission.

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