The Toronto Maple Leafs are gearing up at full power for the game against the Minnesota Wild. As they should, given their last 2 match losses against the Ottawa Senators and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Many NHL fans weren’t surprised to see them go at it during their outdoor practice at the Prince of Wales rink in Mimico, Ontario.

While the NHL community is bustling with the recent blockbuster trade that blindsided Mikko Rantanen and sent him off to the Carolina Hurricanes, there are also whispers that the Hurricanes were asking around about Mitchell Marner. However, Marner seems to be completely preoccupied with seeing the Leaf’s turn over a new leaf to victory ahead of their upcoming game. But the team’s supporters have other player recruit requests.

Social media is rife with preposterous requests calling on Brad Treliving, manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, to recruit Zeus Marner, the proud four-legged son of Mitch Marner, for the Leafs. This uproar happened when NHL fans spotted Zeus skidding around the rink chasing the puck and Marner’s glove while the Maple Leafs were in an outdoor practice session. A video clip of the adorable moment hit Instagram recently and the comments section went berserk. Check out the video to see what everyone is raving about.

The canine superstar, a chocolate labrador, was fixated on Mitch as he chased him around playing fetch across the rink. They were surrounded by hordes of onlookers cheering for Zeus.

Zeus Marner – The future ‘pawer’ player of NHL

The parent function between Mitch and Zeus in the video captured the hearts of the Toronto Maple Leaf’s fans and non-fans alike. Who wouldn’t love such a pup? But going by the fan comments for the video, it seems like the pup has skill too, just like his dad. There were calls for Brad Treliving to draft Zeus for the Maple Leafs: “Treliving, sign this dog now.” For the non-skaters out there, don’t you agree with the comment that says, “Zeus skates better than me?” One fan dug into puns in the comments just like we did: “Future Hockey Star, Sign this paw up.” Zeus is indeed a pawerful player (all pun intended).

And then, there were some that compared Zeus to Ryan Reaves, the Maple Leafs’ forward. “He’s moving faster than Reaves out there.” Reaves, despite being a beloved teammate for the Maple Leafs, hasn’t brought much to the table. He has neither made shots nor scoring chances that would help their case, especially considering the recent 2 losses they faced. “Put him on the 4th line. Send Reaves to the AHL.”

Zeus has been around in the NHL circle for a few years now and this is not his first brush with fame. The playful lad has been spotted publicly a number of times, in practice and in games, to cheer his dad on. Zeus has captivated spectators so much with his occasional appearances and is a shutterbug favorite.

During the Maple Leafs match against the Vancouver Canucks back in 2023, a fan had a poster against the glass wall on the rink that read, “Hey Mitch, my family sent a gift for Zeus from Nova Scotia.” Mitch stopped by to collect the plushy that was thrown into the rink and later dropped a video on his social media of Zeus thrilled with his new toy.

Slightly less pragmatic to see Zeus playing on the 4th line for the Maple Leafs, but Mitch, however, has had a splendid year with respect to his stats. Mitch Marner concluded last season with a total number of 209 goals to his career. Marner has had an impressive streak record with the Maple Leafs since he was selected in the first round as fourth overall for the team in the 2015 NHL entry draft. Marner has been the face of consistency for the Toronto Maple Leafs but there has been word that Marner’s contract with the Maple Leafs is set to run out in July of 2025.

Mitch Marner holds full authority over his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, clauses that leave Marner in complete control over his career. As of now, there is no word from the Maple Leafs about re-signing the contract with Marner or about any trade-offs. The Maple Leafs might not consider a trade unless they are absolutely certain that the incoming player has a better record than Marner. The NHL trade deadline closes on the 7th of March 2025. Tell us your thoughts in the comments below regarding the Maple Leafs’ next move. Would they re-sign Mitch Marner or would they consider a tradeoff?