Toronto Maple Leafs: Matt Martin Healthy Scratch?
By James Tanner
Tell me it’s true! Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock looks to have decided to roll out something close to the Optimal Lineup.
At Practice yesterday, ahead of tonight’s Toronto Maple Leafs vs Carolina Hurricanes matchup, the Leafs rolled out lines that did not include superfluous enforcer Matt Martin.
Babcock confirms that Martin is healthy. Stands to be a healthy scratch Friday for the first time as a Leaf. https://t.co/IoS4NYfpDT
— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) November 23, 2017
Now that is what I call coaching!
Leafs lines today:
— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) November 23, 2017
Hyman-Matthews-Marner
Komarov-Kadri-Soshnikov
van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Nylander
Leivo-Marleau-Brown
Extras: Moore, Martin
That is a thing of beauty. Other than not having Nylander as a centre, there is nothing to complain about. That’s about as good a lineup the Toronto Maple Leafs could ice, and it’s an absolutely INSANE lineup of depth, scoring ability and raw talent. With Moore and Martin on the sidelines, the Leafs have finally decided to scratch their two worst players.
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This new lineup features what is quite possibly the best fourth line in the history of the NHL.
How is any team supposed to defend against this? The Leivo-Marleau-Brown line is a quality second line on a playoff team. This is what I have been talking about all season (and much of last season). The Leafs will be up against teams that won’t even know what they’re supposed to do. It’s wave after wave of attack that features a first liner pretty much on every line (Brown is that good).
Close to Perfect
The only thing really stopping this from being a perfect lineup is that Soshnikov doesn’t deserve to be on the team. He is here due to a clause in his contract that prevents the Toronto Maple Leafs from keeping him in the AHL any longer. Because of this, he’s getting ice-time that should go to the far, far, far superior Kasperi Kapanen.
Can you imagine adding one of the fastest players in the NHL to this already preposterously talented group of forwards? I cannot, because my mind might explode.
To see Babcock finally embrace what we’ve been suggesting all-along is amazing. There is no need to have Matt Martin on this team, especially at the expense of such talented replacements. Matt Martin might have been a useful player in a different era. There just isn’t a need for a fighter or a protector in today’s NHL. For Babcock to realize this is extremely encouraging.
I am sure Martin is a great guy, but if the Leafs have to play a Martin, it should be Marincin.
Regardless, I don’t see how any team in the NHL is icing a lineup even close to this. This is why I called the Leafs the best team in the NHL. This is why I consider them Stanley Cup Favorites.
Tampa Bay? Look at their roster. They have five or six players who couldn’t make the Toronto Maple Leafs. And now that Babcock is experimenting with his optimal talent distribution it’s going to become even more apparent how good the Leafs are and can be.
Next: Leivo Ain't Replacing JVR
This lineup makes tonight’s game the most anticipated of the season for me.