The Toronto Maple Leafs are blessed with a handful of talented forwards who can all produce a lot of offense for the team. However, pairing some of them together doesn't always work out. This is the case with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner this season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have benefitted from many highlight reel plays from these two playing together, but they are better apart. Having Matthews and Marner playing on separate lines appears to work better for the team, yet head coach Craig Berube keeps putting them together.
Before the Leafs game on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils, the team's record with Matthews and Marner playing on the same line is 15-11-2, which puts the team on pace to finish the season with 94 points. However, the team is 12-5-0 when they're not playing on the same line, which puts the team on pace for 116 points.
The strongest argument for separating the Leafs two superstars is that they can each drive their own line and elevate the play of two other players. The Leafs have three franchise players, and if they put one on each line they'd be almost impossible to defend against. Carolina may not have three plays on the same level, but they play Svechnikov, Aho and Necas on different lines and are statistically the best 5v5 team in the NHL.
Fraser Minten to replace John Tavares
The Leafs have placed Tavares on injured reserve and listed him as being out week-to-week. While he's out, the team has called up Fraser Minten from the Toronto Marlies. Minten has five goals and five assists for ten points in 16 games for the Marlies, and he had four points in 11 games with the Leafs earlier this season.
(All stats from eliteprospects.com)
Tavares has 20 goals and 22 assists for 42 points this season in 44 games. That's good for second on the Leafs in goals, and third on the team in points. Hopefully, the team will find a way to win some games while he is out.
(Stats from hockey-reference.com)
I hope the Leafs keep Minten up the entire time that Tavares is out and allow him to gain the experience. There is no better way to learn how to play in the NHL than to actually play meaningful minutes against the NHL's best players. The Leafs have high hopes for Minten, so it's nice to see them giving him an opportunity.