Where Should Mitch Marner Play When He Returns to the Lineup?
By Edward Eng
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.