9 Keys to a Winning Toronto Maple Leafs Playoff Lineup
By James Tanner
Keys to a Winning Toronto Maple Leafs Playoff Lineup
1. Split Up Matthews and Marner and Nylander
The Toronto Maple Leafs need to understand the most important rule of the NHL = stars make everyone else better, but when you combine them you are subject to the law of diminishing returns.
An elite player on every line is how you take advantage of having so many one-dimensional players in the lineup. (Domi, Nylander, Kampf, Dewar).
2. Keep the Duds on the Bench
Ryan Reaves, Noah Gregor and Ilya Samsonov should not see the ice in the playoffs if at all possible. You can't trust them so you can't play them.
3. Start Joseph Woll
This shouldn't even be a conversation.
Woll is more talented, but more importantly, he's more poised and less prone to a meltdown.
Sammy's redemption is a nice story, but it's a story, so who cares? You can't get sentimental at a time like this!
Doesn't matter how good he plays between returning to the lineup and the end of the season, his trustability is near zero.