Despite being drafted fourth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015, there was a measure of apprehension in regards to whether Mitch Marner could replicate his high-end junior-level production in the NHL.

The knock, as is often the case in today's NHL, was Marner's size, raising questions about his ability to withstand the rigors of the pro game. But in less than half a season, Marner is the latest to prove a smaller player can bring a big game to the table.

And while his speed and stickhandling abilities have allowed him to make good on a few breakaway opportunities, he's also demonstrated the ability to play an effective possession game and make smart decisions in the offensive zone, creating opportunities instead of simply capitalizing on them.

That was made evident on the play that led to his second career goal, scored in Buffalo back on Nov. 3. Placed on a line with Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk, Marner put himself and the puck in all the right spots, leaving the Sabres completely flummoxed.

Here's how it happened:

The play began with van Riemsdyk (25) carrying the puck along the wall, Bozak (42) battling for position at the front of the net, and Marner (16) open and ready to accept a pass.

Instead of attempting to dish the puck off to Marner, van Riemsdyk decided to swing it back into the corner.

And rather than chase the puck into the corner himself, Marner cut to the front of the net, wisely deferring possession to Bozak.

Despite being boxed out by Sabres center Zemgus Girgensons, Bozak was able to tap the puck away and towards the far corner, an area to which Marner had a clear lane.

Marner slid into the corner to scoop the loose puck, commanding the attention of all six Sabres on the ice.

As he skated to the right and circled out of the corner, Marner was able to deftly move the puck to his left, back behind the net towards Bozak.

Bozak received Marner's pass, and positioned himself to either take a shot at a heavily-guarded short side or dish the puck to one of van Riemsdyk or Marner, both of whose paths to the net were impeded by Sam Reinhart (23) and Dmitry Kulikov (77).

Here is where Marner's speed came into play, as the rookie needed only a few strides to break away from the defense. Meanwhile, Bozak was given ample time and space to fire a pass across the crease.

Marner was able to extend his stick for the easy tap in, giving him the second goal of his career.

The smarts and maturity displayed on the play - and on another goal scored by Marner later in the game - were not lost on head coach Mike Babcock, who lauded the young forward's ability to create rather than focus on finishing.

"He was playing great and focused on doing everything right," Babcock said after the game, per Joe Yerdon of NHL.com. "And then when he scored, then he probably wanted to score a little bit and focused on scoring and didn't score. Focus on doing things right and everything works out for itself."

Yes, there will be bumps along the road to potential success for any young player - Marner has since spent time on the team's fourth line before being reunited with Bozak and van Riemsdyk.

Marner has generated a ton of excitement in Toronto based on his gamebreaking abilities. At the same time, however, Babcock expects him to slow things down at times and make the smart play, and he's clearly able to hold his own as an undersized player in the context of a possession-focused cycle game in the offensive zone.

Neither Connor McDavid nor Jack Eichel were going to be overlooked with the top two picks in 2015, but the Maple Leafs should be thanking the Arizona Coyotes for letting Marner drop to four.

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