Maple Leafs HC Craig Berube makes his feelings known about Mitch Marner's 500 career assists milestone

Mitch Marner reached another career achievement in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday. He recorded his 500th career assist on the team’s first goal and became the fastest player in franchise history to do so. Marner achieved this in 629 games, breaking Darryl Sittler’s record of 775 games.

The 27-year-old has been a key playmaker for Toronto. This season, he has 16 goals and 55 assists for 71 points in 54 games. His 500th assist also places him among the NHL’s best. Over the past 20 years, only Connor McDavid (527 games) and Sidney Crosby (554 games) have reached 500 assists faster.

Maple Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube praised Mitch Marner’s achievement after the game.

“He is a very good all-around player and all-situations guy. He is a very good playmaker, obviously, and can do it all. A great accomplishment for him. We are very happy for him,” Berube said.

Marner has also contributed in the playoffs, recording 50 points in 57 games. However, he is still looking for more postseason success.

Mitch Marner also commented on his 500 career assists milestone. He did not focus on personal achievements and credited his teammates for their role in his success.

"I don't really want solo achievements in this league, or enjoy them as much as maybe people should," Marner said (via thehockeynews.com). "A lot of credit to the guys around me that have been here with me since day one, and some guys that have moved on. They're the ones putting the puck in the numbers, trying to find them in the right areas, and luckily enough it's worked out."

His teammates also celebrated his achievement. They awarded him the player-of-the-game belt after the win.

Sportsnet’s Justin Bourne explains why Maple Leafs are better with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner on separate lines

The Toronto Maple Leafs split Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner and the stats support the decision. Sportsnet’s Justin Bourne noted that both players produce more points per game when separated.

"If you want to get the best out of these two guys, Marner has to shoot more, Matthews has to be more of a distributor, separate them and you do that," Bourne said.

Matthews becomes more of a passer, while Marner takes more shots. Craig Berube kept them on different lines against Seattle, with Marner playing alongside John Tavares and William Nylander. This setup creates a more balanced attack and benefits both players. However, they still play together on the power play.