Having clinched the Atlantic Division title on Tuesday after their win over the Buffalo Sabres, it finalized the playoff matchup for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the process. There will once again be the Battle of Ontario as the Maple Leafs are set to face the Ottawa Senators in the first round.
However, the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t had much success against the Senators recently, having lost all three of their games against them this season. Looking a little further back, the Leafs were unsuccessful in defeating Ottawa during their two preseason matchups as well.
As a result, Toronto will need to be quite meticulous with the formation of their lineup heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With that in mind, what would be the best lineup that they should deploy against the Senators? Here, we will construct the most ideal playoff lineup for the Maple Leafs heading into the first round.
Forwards
Top Line: Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner
Without question, the top line of Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner should remain intact at all times, given their tremendous chemistry throughout the 2024-25 NHL season. Knies has developed into that clutch, grinding goal scorer to complement the dynamic duo. At the same time, both Matthews and Marner can keep the line defensively responsible as well. Having combined together for 88 goals and 233 points, there is no stopping this awesome trio at any end of the ice.
2nd Line: Bobby McMann – John Tavares – William Nylander
The Leafs may have been tinkering with this line in recent weeks due to various circumstances such as injuries and ineffectiveness. But when playoff time starts, they should reunite Bobby McMann with the duo of John Tavares and William Nylander. All three players are a huge threat to score, while McMann adds back some grit and feistiness to the line to ensure that they don’t become that much of a liability of being just a pure scoring line. Also, in would make the line comparable to the Leafs top trio, creating headaches for the opposition in terms of matchups.
3rd Line: Nick Robertson – Max Domi – Calle Jarnkrok
As great as Max Domi has been down the stretch with his sudden burst in goal scoring, playmaking is still his strongest attribute. As a result, it would be best to pair him with Nick Robertson and Calle Jarnkrok, who both has a booming goal scorer’s shot to maximize Domi’s effectiveness. In addition, Jarnkrok would help with the defensive aspect on the line to keep them in check, given that both Robertson and Domi are more offense-first players.