The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped back-to-back games this season with concern for how the top line has played so far. Mike DiStefano and David Morassutti give their thoughts on the losses to the Penguins and Blackhawks looking at some of the factors that played against them in the losses and the team only having five regulation wins in 19 games. Mike and Dave focus on the play of the top line which has struggled lately, especially Mitch Marner but what is the reason behind the issues? Mike and Dave look at a couple of reasons they think things aren’t working. Is it time to split up Auston Matthews and Marner, Mike and Dave discuss whether the Leafs should consider it.
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4 Comments
Putting Nylander with Matthews is a must at this point. If Keefe doesn't do it then he's making an obvious mistake.
Sweden excuse doesn't fly with me. Red Wings are 3-0 since coming back from Sweden.
Break Matthews and Marner up? No chance. When the two Divas were complaining that they weren't playing together, upper management compromised the team's scoring balance by forcing Keefe to play them together. It's their team, let them rot. Tavares and Nylander should demand this after the way they've been treated the last 5 years. Coincidentally, this mistreatment is the reason why Nylander hasn't, and will never, sign another extension with this organization.
I must have typed it a hundred times. Sheldon Keefe has a long record of rewarding offense and not caring about defense. It is pretty easy to see why players don't care about defense either.
Speaking of defense, 1/6 of this defense is AHL, 1/6 is closer to 55 than 25 and 1/3 is all offense.
"There is a correlation between the team's struggles and their struggles." I will go one further than that. Over any ten game stretch the team is only as good as Marner is playing.
"Why break up the second line when they are playing so well?" They did that very thing last year when Matthews was playing like trash and it likely cost Marner his 100 point season.
Slide Jarnkrok up, he is only defense on the Domi line. Asking Knies to carry Domi and Roberson defensively was a big ask of Jarnkrok, it is a bigger ask of a rookie.
If you are breaking up your top line, aka shutdown line, then who is your shutdown line going to be?