Craig Berube Makes Bold Move to Reignite Oliver Ekman-Larsson's Game
The Maple Leafs head coach is trying a brand new approach as he tries to get veteran Oliver Ekman-Larsson going amidst his offensive struggles.
Starting off the year looking a decade younger and showcasing more edge in his game, Oliver Ekman-Larsson has struggled as of late. With only three points in his last 11 games, the veteran defenseman hasn't brought everything Toronto needs him to bring each night.
So in an effort to spark some offense and creativity within Ekman-Larsson, head coach Craig Berube has decided to take some drastic measures to try and get him going.
Per David Alter of The Hockey News on X, he released the lines during practice on Friday ahead of their game against Buffalo and it showed a risky change on his blueline.
Craig Berube's Risky Move Splitting Up His Best Defense
It seems a bit crazy to split up your team's best defensive pairing, but the Maple Leafs' head coach is known for changing things around in order to get things going.
The duo of Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev have been not only been the team's best pair but also arguably the league's best. Their relentless shot blocking and body-checking have given new life to a once stagnant defense.
But there's also Ekman-Larsson struggling making a lot of money and not producing.
Giving him a defensive beast in Tanev to patrol the line and let him get more of an offensive look is a good idea, and gives Simon Benoit a solid shutdown defender in McCabe.
Known throughout his career as an offensive catalyst and a powerplay wizard, Ekman-Larsson has only gotten one goal and no assists on the man advantage. He had a blistering start with seven points in his first 20 games and looked rejuvenated under Craig Berube.
Going up against a stingy but struggling Buffalo Sabres team is a great test for Berube to experiment with his defense.
Giving Ekman-Larsson the freedom to make the first offensive play out of the zone and help facilitate the offense can only be a positive.
If he doesn't pick things up, it's not the end of the world as Berube can go straight back to what was working before.
But if he's able to spark his veteran blueliner enough to allow him to run rampant again, Toronto's defense is going to be even better than it already is.
| POLL | ||
Is Craig Berube making a mistake by splitting up Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev to help Oliver Ekman-Larsson? | ||
