after the 2023 playoffs when marner starts getting blamed for maple leafs playoff performance and getting a lot of online hate/media scrutiny and criticism from beat reporters he gets a smiley face tattoo to remind himself that hockey is fun
he and matthews spend a season doodling letters, hearts, stars, but mostly smiley faces on their gloves.
The criticism remains heavy the blame remains outsized marner discourse is generating all the clicks and is brought up every other game and article
Horrendous games 5 and 7 washout in the second round of the playoffs, booed every time he touches the puck, doxxed and threatened (his baby is not 2 weeks old)
Marner signs with vegas. Toronto is radio silent. No one reposts the official goodbye, no one posts ANYTHING, he still generates all the off-season news and all interviews with matthews are politely positive but generic. Ahead of the first preseason game, he tells the media they have 2 more weeks of marner questions before he's done.
Matthews plays his first preseason game. Since marner is no longer there for them to be the last 2 out on the ice practicing together in warmups he has extra time as the last on the ice.
So he makes a smiley face out of pucks on the face off dot.
