The Toronto Maple Leafs are running back their core players with Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews, John Tavares and William Nylander but their best use of the top-six may surprise you.
It’s the middle of July which means it’s the perfect time to talk about the team’s potential line-up, right? We’re past trade talks and free agency rumours, as it doesn’t look like much more is going to change with this roster. Maybe a PTO here and there, but for the most part, what you see is what you’ll get on opening night for the Leafs.
When the Leafs won the NHL Draft Lottery, every fan lit up thinking about McKenna to Matthews. Oh what could be for the next 10 years, as the team finally found it’s new Mitch Marner. The irony in that statement is hilarious because although those two worked together in the regular season, they faltered in the playoffs.
McKenna to Matthews may still work, but let’s see that on the power-play instead of even strength, as the Leafs best top-six looks something like this.
Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews – Nick Paul
Gavin McKenna – John Tavares – William Nylander
That first line can not only score, but they can be a powerful forechecking nightmare. Go ahead and throw your best two defenseman at these players because by the second period they’re going to be worn down and broken.
Leafs Best Top-Line May Surprise You
Knies is an animal down-low while Paul can do the same, while applying some offense. During his time in Tampa Bay, he was a Swiss army knife going up and down the line-up, but in my opinion, he fits perfect beside Knies and Matthews. All three of these players are tall and heavy and can provide offense.
Meanwhile, this gives McKenna the opportunity to play against a worse defensive-pairing most nights while still playing with two elite players. Nobody is smarter than Tavares, while Nylander will benefit greatly from having an elite passer with him.
Nylander is an underrated playmaker himself, but McKenna will be able to feed him nightly, which could result in an even bigger goal-scoring season than last year’s. When Marner was with the Leafs, he primarily played with Matthews, so the former No. 7 overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft never got his “cookies”. Now it’s Nylander’s turn to get that playmaker, as this makes their second line just as dangerous as their first line and can arguably be one of the best top-six’s in hockey.
It may sound crazy to put Paul up front then McKenna alongside Nylander, but this makes the team much more balanced and can make the Leafs very tough to play against every night.
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