The Toronto Maple Leafs are fourth in the NHL, but their lineup is about to get a massive boost.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews and William Nylander are likely to be returning to the lineup this week. Matthews is close to a return from injury, while Nylander is inching closer and closer to a contract.
Despite two-thirds of their top line being out of the lineup for most of the season to date, the Leafs are still performing as one of the best teams in the NHL.
Toronto sits fourth in the National Hockey League and third in the surprisingly competitive Atlantic Division, despite missing William Nylander all year and Auston Matthews for the past 14 games. The powerplay is still at 25% and the Leafs continue to score over three and a half goals per game.
This brings us to the difficult question: When Matthews and Nylander return, who comes out of the lineup?
At the beginning of the year, it seemed like a relatively straightforward question. Frederik Gauthier was firmly in the press box, while Tyler Ennis and Josh Leivo formed a fourth line, right-wing platoon.
Now at the end of November, Gauthier’s fourth line has been one of Toronto’s most consistent lines, Leivo has goals in back-to-back games, and Ennis has had glimpses of excellence. Add in Par Lindholm’s strong performances and Andreas Johnsson’s recent offensive outbreak, and we have a real debate on our hands.
Let’s take a look at Toronto’s entire bottom six (Johnsson, Lindholm, Connor Brown, Ennis, Gauthier, and Leivo), and make the case for and against them staying in the lineup once Auston Matthews and William Nylander return to the already potent lineup.
We’ll begin with the reigning Calder Cup Playoffs MVP and owner of Calvin Pickard’s five-hole, Andreas Johnsson.