Toronto Maple Leafs: Move Marner Up The Lineup
The Toronto Maple Leafs are scoring like mad. They lead the NHL in scoring.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have won six of their first seven games. Despite all the success, Mitch Marner has been having a bit of a rough go so far. As such, he’s now the fourth line.
What’s going on?
Marner hasn’t been terrible this season. He’s been alright. The fact that the four points he has so far looks low for him demonstrates how good he’s been.
Starting with Bozak and JVR once again this year has been the problem. That line can certainly score and does so quite a bit, but Bozak and JVR aren’t exactly “200 foot” players. The trio was lit up at even strength in the first five games of the season.
Babcock wanted to shake things up, but with the first two lines playing so well, the only option was to swap out a player with the fourth line.
It makes sense…
Playing on the fourth line allows Marner to play against easier competition and focus on his defensive game while still getting power play time. We can’t forget that Connor Brown was very much deserving of a “promotion” for his solid play as well. He’s another player too good for the fourth line.
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The problem here is that Marner’s talents are completely wasted when playing with Matt Martin. Martin is a good guy, but lets face it, he has hands of stone. Marner’s vision, passing, and hockey I.Q. are on a much higher level. He needs a skilled player that will be much better playing with skill.
It wouldn’t be so bad if Leivo was playing in Martin’s spot, but that’s just not the case right now. This doesn’t hurt much while the Leafs are scoring like mad, but it could if Marner is down there for awhile.
I don’t see how he will be…
Marner has too much talent to be on the fourth line for very long. The question is, where should he play once luck is a bit more on his side and he’s up to speed. Personally, I’d rather not see him with Bozak and JVR. Brown is a good fight there.
What I’d like to see is for Marner to play with Kadri and Marleau. Kadri and Marleau are real solid two-way players with plenty of skill, speed, and experience. That’s what makes Marner such a good fit with them.They all think the game at a high level and I believe they’d complement each other’s strengths very well.
Next: Marner Criticism Unwarranted
Of course this would mean wasting an elite defensive player on the fourth line. So basically, until the Toronto Maple Leafs trade a forward, there is always going to be someone playing on the fourth line who doesn’t deserve to.