David Amber

They made a lot of additions that made sense, right?

And it just didn't happen.

And Makar getting hurt is not insignificant.

Machuskin missed the game yesterday.

McKinnon was hurt in game three.

So I think it just became a landslide that was just way too hard to climb over.

Well, I mean, can two things be mutually exclusive and both true?

I mean, that's the way I look at this.

Did Mitch Marner have dark times in his playoff runs in Toronto?

Absolutely.

With the expectations on the team to make it, you know, past the first round and past the second round and looking at the salaries that he and Matthews and Nylander were demanding and the skill level they have and the regular season success.

Let's not forget, I mean, they...

I'd made the playoffs nine straight years, and the idea is you stumble a bit your first couple of playoff runs, and then you break through like we've seen so many other teams do, and it never happened.

So I think it's true.

They were dark days in Toronto for him, and he has some of the liability of that.

He has some of the culpability in that whole mix, along with the other top players in Toronto.

There was a lot of blame to go around.

And here he is in Vegas, and he's been exceptional.

He has been arguably the most impactful player in the postseason.

Those two things can both be separate and true.