Where Should Mitch Marner Play When He Returns to the Lineup?
There’s a plethora of possibilities for the Maple Leafs when it comes to inserting Marner into the lineup
After missing almost a month’s time with a high ankle sprain, star winger Mitch Marner will soon be making his return to the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup, which could come as soon as this Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.
During his absence, the Toronto Maple Leafs went a solid 7-4-1 to hold off some of their nearest competitors, while maintaining a firm grasp of third place in the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference with seven games left on the schedule.
However, the Leafs power play and penalty kill ended up suffering quite a bit the past month without Marner leading the way on both units, showing his importance in various aspects of the game that the Leafs sorely missed.
Now that he will be getting into game action very soon, where should the Leafs play Marner in their regular lineup? Should he just get back his usual spot or should the Leafs mix and match to try something new?
Where Should Mitch Marner Play When He Returns to the Maple Leafs Lineup?
Let’s take a closer look at all of the possibilities that the Leafs can consider in playing Marner and what the potential impact could be like.
Marner Back on the First Line with Auston Matthews
It may sound like a no-brainer, but putting Marner back on the top line with Auston Matthews would make a ton of sense.
After all, the dynamic duo had been wrecking havoc on the opposition night-in and night-out in recent years, along with building a strong chemistry together that may be unmatched by any other than perhaps Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
It just seems like whenever Marner has the puck, he will always find Matthews somehow and some way, leading to absolutely jaw-dropping results.
However, the recent newly formed top line of Matthews, Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi have become quite a dominant force for the past few weeks for the Leafs.
Bertuzzi has tallied 7 goals and 2 assists along with 21 shots on goal, Domi has racked up 1 goal and 9 assists along with 15 PIM, and Matthews has gone bonkers by putting up 8 goals and 10 assists with a whopping 58 shots on goal, wth all this happening since Marner’s injury.
With Bertuzzi and Domi enduring through some struggles offensively for most of the season until their recent line formation, it would be tough for the Leafs to suddenly break up what has been working well for them in recent times.
The last thing the Leafs would want is to have Bertuzzi and/or Domi reverting back to their early struggles after moving them off the top line. As a result, maybe, just maybe Marner will actually find himself out of a spot on the top line until either one of Bertuzzi or Domi shows some signs of regression in their play.
Marner Reunited with John Tavares on the Second Line
If there is no place for Marner on the first line, then why not reunite him with captain John Tavares?
It would be just like old times when Tavares first joined the Leafs. Back then, the duo of Marner and Tavares clicked instantly, leading to Tavares’ best season of his career in 2018-19 when he recorded 47 goals and 41 assists for 88 points.
So perhaps putting the two together again can help them rediscover some of that magic together.
More importantly, there’s also prolific Nylander now on the line. Playing perhaps some of his best hockey of his entire NHL career, they could form a new dynamic trio that would torment opposing defenders by skating circles around them all game long.
But of course, if that happens, Bobby McMann would need to be removed from the line, who had been the main energy spark plug and grinder of the three-man unit. However, if it means the Leafs would end up with two unstoppable top lines as a result of it, it should be a small sacrifice that’s worth making, especially when McMann has shown he can be effective as a bottom-six player as well.
Marner Driving a New Third Line
This would be a great experiment for the Leafs to try, since they practically have a playoff spot all sewn up, with hopes of catching either the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers pretty much hanging by the thread by now.
With the top two lines already doing well recently, the Leafs can try pairing Marner with some of the younger players on the team in Pontus Holmberg and Matthew Knies/Nick Robertson.
Not only would they possess tremendous speed, they would also have the perfect mix of solid defense to go along with offensive flair at the same time, which could actually make them one of the scariest third lines in the league.
More importantly, if Marner does end up on the third line, it essentially spreads out the Leafs core four on three separate lines, creating potential nightmare matchups for the opposing team down the stretch and perhaps even in the playoffs. (All stats from hockey-reference.com)
Marner Rumbling on the Fourth Line?
So how about Marner on the bottom checking line, joining the likes of Connor Dewar/Ryan Reaves and David Kampf?
Should that idea even be considered? Well, if the Leafs plan to give Marner a few shifts to start on the fourth line to get him back up to game speed after his month-long absence, then it could be a good temporary move.
But if they plan to actually keep him there for an entire game and more, just like when he was punished several years ago for his lackluster play by putting him with Matt Martin and company, then that would probably end up being more detrimental to the team than helping it in the end.
By wasting Marner’s offensive talents with defensively-minded players on the fourth line, in a way it inadvertently helps the opposing team shut down one of the best players in the game for them. So for this option, a 100% no-no for sure.
The Verdict
If history holds true on how head coach Sheldon Keefe usually manages the team, we will most likely see Marner back on the top line with his old buddy Matthews the moment he makes his return.
In doing so, Domi will most likely be moved and either bump McMann from the second line or centre the third line with the team rookies. Hopefully in doing so, it doesn’t mess up too much of the chemistry generated by the recent line combinations in the past month.
But in reality, trying Marner on the third line would present the best high-risk, high-reward possibility for the Leafs going forward. If the combination indeed ends up working surprisingly, then by the time the playoffs roll around, the Leafs would own one of the league’s top one-two-three punch, making them a frightful force to be reckoned with.
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All in all, it’s worth a try, because if it doesn’t end up working out in the next week or so, they can always revert back to plan for the final couple of weeks in preparation for the playoffs with no harm done.