"They are toxic together”: Leafs fans react to Mitch Marner’s excellence on ice when ‘not force feeding’ Auston Matthews

The Toronto Maple Leafs have won two straight games over divisional opponents, earning victories over the historic rival Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens on consecutive nights. What's even more impressive is that they've done so without captain Auston Matthews, who is dealing with an upper-body injury and has been placed on Injured Reserve by the team.

Forward Mitch Marner has stepped up in Matthews' absence, scoring a goal with an assist in both games and bringing his personal stat line to four goals and 16 assists on the season.

This led one fan to declare that Marner plays much better without Auston Matthews.

Other fans mostly agreed with this sentiment, though naturally, not everyone sees it that way.

"They are toxic together. And I'll never understand why Berube keeps them together," said @giggity56.

"xactly. And matthews has shown he excels without Mitch. No idea why coaches insist on playing them together all the time. Domi with Matthews should be explored more," added @burnsboys13.

"And yet Berube won’t split them up unless injuries force him to. Makes no sense," opined @DJ_Llewellyn.

One fan called out the critics of Marner amid his hot streak.

"Where are the Mitch Marner haters now??" a fan asked.

However, some fans disagreed with the take. One was still skeptical of Marner, particularly in the playoffs, while another believes he and Matthews make for a great pairing.

"Imagine thinking what you do in game 12 or 36 or 75 is relevant. Mitch is a nothing burger every single April (playoffs). That's when men are your opponent, he struggles when it matters most. He is not the only one either," added @irvine8989.

"1) you don’t know what toxic means. 2) they are pure magic together and one of the best duos in the sport," dissented @JustinLuey.

It's clear that the subject has drawn several different opinions from Leafs fans. Marner's contract situation is one to keep tabs on, considering that he's without a deal beyond this current season.

The Maple Leafs have placed captain Auston Matthews on Injured Reserve

Auston Matthews, who is the reigning Rocket Richard Trophy winner as the NHL's best goal scorer after he tallied an impressive 69 last season, has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury and is currently on Injured Reserve.

According to head coach Craig Berube, Matthews is trending in the right direction but wasn't quite ready to return yet for Friday and Saturday's games.

"We're going in the right direction," Berube said. "It's good news."

He'll be eligible to return to action when the Leafs take on their provincial rival Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.

So far this season, Auston Matthews has scored five goals and six assists in 13 contests. He has 373 goals and 287 assists so far in his NHL career, which began in 2016 after being taken with the first overall pick by the Leafs in the 2016 NHL Draft.