The Toronto Maple Leafs have been playing well of late. Heading into the game against the Flyers, they were 11-5-4 in their last 20 games, which ranked seventh in the league, according to James Mirtle.
Although there have been players who have left and rejoined the lineup in those last 20 games, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been without William Nylander for the previous five games. In that span, they are 3-0-2.
It appears Berube has found four lines that have worked: Matthews centring McMann and Domi, Tavares centring Maccelli and Knies, Roy centring Robertson and Cowan, and Laughton centring Lorentz and Jarnkrok.
These four lines have delivered some of the Leafs' better performances of the season.
So what is the issue?
It's great that the Leafs are playing well and getting results, but with Nylander set to return to the lineup as soon as Saturday night, I'm trying to figure out what Berube changes with this lineup.
Matthews looks fantastic with Domi and McMann on the wings, and I wouldn't touch that line until he cools off. Maccelli has looked great in the top six, and I think he's ineffective in a bottom-six role.
The third line of Cowan, Roy and Robertson has been one of the best combinations the Leafs have thrown out there as a third line all year, so I'm scared to change that as well. The fourth-line pairing of Laughton and Lorentz has been fantastic all year, but Jarnkrok is the obvious odd man out to me.
So now that I've laid out all the issues Berube faces with this lineup, how should he go about altering it with Nylander's return?
As I mentioned earlier, I wouldn't touch that top line with how well they've played. My solution has Nylander slotting into Knies' spot on the second line. The new look second line will now be Maccelli, Tavares and Nylander.
My new third line would be Knies, Roy and Cowan, while the fourth line would include Lorentz, Laughton and Robertson.
This isn't a criticism of Robertson or Knies. Robertson has done a fantastic job of finding a way to be a factor even when he's not scoring, with an improvement in his physical play and in puck battles. Knies has had a good year so far, but I think he fits that line really well.
Knies, Roy and Cowan would be a line that is solid at hounding pucks and can play with some bite. They could be a very effective third line, and the fourth line of Lorentz, Laughton and Robertson can be very similar to my new-look third line.
The new second line gets Nylander back with Tavares and pairs him with an excellent passer of the puck in Maccelli. These changes provide the Leafs with the balance and depth.
Although I think this is the best option, it will be interesting to see how Berube manages this.