Mitch Marner’s departure does greater than shuffle the Toronto Maple Leafs’ prime six. It opens the door for a whole rethink of how Toronto runs its energy play. For years, the crew leaned closely on Marner’s playmaking. However the outcomes have been uneven: flashes of brilliance one month, lengthy droughts the following.
Associated: Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens Sport Day Preview: Preseason Sport #3
Now, with Marner gone, it’s time to ask some sincere questions on personnel, positioning, and perhaps even long-held scapegoats. The massive query is which gamers will step up now that Marner has moved on.
Maple Leafs Internet-Entrance Presence: Knies vs. Nylander
One of the crucial intriguing debates is whether or not Matthew Knies ought to completely take over the net-front position. He brings the physicality, the willingness to plant himself within the robust areas, and the palms to complete greasy possibilities. In brief: he appears to be like like a pure for that job.
John Tavares is probably the most brave net-front participant the Maple Leafs have, combining fearless positioning with lightning-quick palms to bury rebounds. His hand-eye coordination is extraordinarily strong. He additionally has the mentality that he’ll play the goal. And put in errant pucks that bounce off him or the rest that will get in its means.
Associated: 3 Huge Questions for the Maple Leafs Heading Into Preseason Sport 3
William Nylander, in contrast, can play there in spots however by no means appeared totally comfy. His talent set is best suited elsewhere, and letting Knies personal the crease frees Nylander to make use of his shot and pace in ways in which punish penalty killers. If this change sticks, it may be the only, smartest tweak Toronto could make.
Half-Wall Choices: Nylander’s Shot vs. Marner’s Playmaking
For his complete Maple Leafs tenure, Marner on the half-wall was the default setup. He may see the ice, distribute the puck, and thread efficient passes. The issue? He by no means had the shot to maintain defenders sincere. Penalty killers knew he was going to move, which made Toronto’s assault predictable.
Nylander adjustments that equation. He can do virtually all the pieces Marner does as a playmaker, however with one added weapon: he has an elite shot. If head coach Craig Berube places him on the half-wall, defenders must respect each the move and the rip. That steadiness could possibly be precisely what the Maple Leafs’ energy play has been lacking.
It’s too unhealthy Nicholas Robertson isn’t that nice a distributor – not less than we haven’t seen it but. His shot may preserve the opposition sincere on the penalty kill. The underside line is that Robertson may be very a lot a shooter first, passer second, and it’s unlikely he’d be efficient as some extent possibility on the ability play — however he may nonetheless be priceless in a distinct position.
The Drawback of Energy-Play Inconsistency
The Maple Leafs’ energy play hasn’t simply been streaky — it’s been maddening. One 20-game stretch they’re clipping alongside at 30 %, the following they’re barely scraping 10. Within the 2023 playoffs in opposition to Boston, the unit went one-for-21. That’s not simply unhealthy luck; that’s a structural flaw.
Associated: Maple Leafs’ Robertson & Järnkrok Trying to Preserve Roster Spots With Robust Play in Preseason
This inconsistency factors to a deeper difficulty than anyone participant. Methods, teaching changes, and even confidence all play into it. The fact is that Toronto’s energy play has by no means discovered its true id, and eradicating Marner may really clear the best way for one thing extra cohesive to develop.
Reconsidering the Playmaker Hierarchy
Toronto has at all times had the expertise. Auston Matthews is changing into a extra harmful passer each season. Nylander’s playmaking typically will get neglected due to his objective scoring. Even Tavares, typically pigeonholed solely as a finisher, can run the bumper spot successfully.
Then there’s Morgan Rielly. He’s lengthy been dismissed as not producing sufficient on the person benefit. However whenever you stack his profession numbers, he’s constantly close to the highest of NHL defensemen in assists and factors. The query isn’t whether or not Toronto has sufficient playmakers — it’s how they’re being deployed.
Was Morgan Rielly Ever Actually the Drawback?
That is the place the dialog comes full circle. For years, Rielly has worn the blame for a sputtering energy play. The numbers again up a few of that criticism — he’s by no means been a dominant shooter, and his level totals with the person benefit lag behind names like Rasmus Dahlin or Roman Josi. However perhaps the issue wasn’t Rielly in any respect. Perhaps it was attempting to run the entire thing by way of a pass-first winger (Marner) who could possibly be neutralized by playoff-caliber penalty kills.
Associated: The Mike Komisarek Story: From Canadiens’ Hammer to Maple Leafs’ What-If
With Marner gone, Toronto has no alternative however to rethink the setup. That might imply extra pucks on web, extra selection, and an opportunity for Rielly to lastly run the unit with out being overshadowed. Ultimately, this may be much less about changing Marner and extra about rediscovering steadiness. And if that occurs, the Maple Leafs’ energy play may lastly develop into what it’s at all times threatened to be: constant, harmful, and (better of all) playoff-proof.
