Marner calls for tougher penalties on crosschecks in the corners and front of the net

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner is a fantastically skilled player with tons of talent, but he's never exactly been much for the rough stuff. At just 6 feet tall and 175 pounds, no one is ever going to mistake Marner for the second coming of Wendel Clark, but that's not exactly Marner's style anyways. Marner is on the ice to score goals and make plays, not to lay big hits or stand up for his teammates like Clark was in his day.

so when Marner was asked today for his thoughts on the news that NHL officials will be tasked with cracking down on crosschecks this upcoming season, his response was likely just as you'd imagine. 

Check it out:

"If you go into a corner, you don't need to have a guy just abusing your back with crosschecks, so I think it should be a penalty. Also net-front-wise, I think it's dangerous."

Again... Marner is a fantastically skilled player and, frankly, I love watching him play. BUT... when was the last time he ever went to the front of the net or into the corner? I hate to pile on a guy when he's down, but the fact of the matter is that I don't ever see Marner going to the "tough areas" specifically because they are tough. I don't blame him though... I wouldn't want to eat cross checks from Shea Weber either, but I also don't earn $10+ million per season to play in the NHL.

In all seriousness though, I get where Marner is coming from. It's true that there's a different standard for what's legal and what's not when it comes to cross checking in different areas of the ice. Cross checks are expected in front of the net and they're used liberally along the boards to gain body position. But if a defenseman were to chop someone down in open ice the way they do in front of the net, it would likely result in a penalty being called every time. My concern is that there are going to me several cross checking penalties called every game for plays that literally have nothing to do with the flow of play. Egregious attempts to injure are one thing, but cross checking to gain body position is entirely different. If nothing else, it'll be interesting to see the officials' interpretation of this new standard.