This felt inevitable, didn’t it?That Mitch Marner, the Golden Knight, would morph into a playoff-conquering superstar.But what happens in Vegas really does stay in Vegas.Marner’s performance this spring doesn’t change all that came before it in Toronto.There are many truths (and myths) to the Marner postseason experience.Marner never did this for the better part of nine postseasons as a Leaf.Never performed like the best player on the ice repeatedly throughout a playoff series, never looked (and acted) like the rare and unique superstar he was during the regular season, the one who could shred foes on both ends of the ice.The only real outlier was the 2018 playoffs when Marner, still just 20 and only in his second NHL season, dazzled the Boston Bruins with nine points in a seven-game first-round loss.It all changed after that.The tension grew and grew and grew with every series the Leafs didn’t win and that Marner didn’t perform like the star his team needed him (and paid him) to be, especially in the biggest moments.He wasn’t alone, certainly.His three fellow co-stars, Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares, also struggled to make their mark, some less so than Marner. But it was Marner who took the most blame, largely due to the controversial six-year contract extension he signed with the Leafs in the fall of 2019. His perception in the market forever changed after that, bubbling up again into fury with every postseason failure.But it was something else too: More than Matthews, Nylander and Tavares, Marner just looked different in the playoffs.The joy and freedom he exuded in racking up the sixth-most regular-season points in Leafs history disappeared, and in their place came a tighter, tenser version of Marner. One who was visibly burdened by the mounting pressure and scrutiny. One who was too stressed to hold the puck and make plays when the Leafs needed him to.He put up points, sure, but the impact was duller than it needed to be.Marner’s tenure with the Leafs was clouded by playoff disappointment. (Claus Andersen / Getty Images)What’s stood out most about Marner’s run with Vegas this spring is just how free and in control he looks, with the results to match.Marner entered his first conference final appearance in the NHL with more goals (seven) and points (18) than he ever had in any one of his nine postseasons with the Leafs.He had five multi-point games in those first two rounds (12 games), one more than he had in his last four rounds (25 games) as a Leaf.The playmaking has been spectacular at times, as it often is with Marner, but it’s the scoring that really pops offensively.Marner once went 18 games — over the span of three postseasons — without scoring even once for the Leafs. He went his first 40 playoff games as a Leaf, for that matter, without scoring a single power-play goal.