Craig Berube Makes Controversial Decision Regarding Maple Leafs Line-up Ahead of Game Vs. the Lightning

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Chris Gerics
October 21, 2024 (1:27 PM)

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In the lone NHL game on Monday, Toronto faces Tampa Bay at home and head coach Craig Berube has decided to bring back Max Pacioretty into the fold.

Coming off a rough 4-1 loss at the hands of the New York Rangers on Saturday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to turn things around quickly against their division rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning. There's still a lot of time in the season to tinker with lineups and figure things out as Toronto looks to end their 56-year Stanley Cup drought.

This is why head coach Craig Berube isn't afraid to make changes when necessary. Sitting Max Pacioretty the last few games and letting Pontus Holmberg have a bigger role has been a big change, and with some Leafs not pulling their weight right now, Berube needs to switch things up, so he's decided to put Pacioretty back into the fold for tonight's game and scratching Ryan Reaves.

Bringing back Pacioretty could be a sign Toronto wants to spark more offense in their game. Having Reaves in the lineup for Saturday was more of a role-based placement as the Rangers had enforcer Matt Rempe suited up and Toronto needed to balance that out. Going from one tough goaltender in Igor Shesterkin to another in Andrei Vasilevskiy is no easy feat, and the Maple Leafs are going to need all the firepower they can muster.

But Why Not Pontus Holmberg Instead?

While Tampa Bay doesn't have an enforcer the likes of Rempe, they do still have Conor Geekie in their lineup, someone unafraid to throw their fists and get rough when he has to. If Toronto wanted to keep that balance, they instead should have employed Reaves again and sat Pontus Holmberg. The Swedish forward has had ample opportunity under Craig Berube to get things going but he hasn't looked great so far.

With only one assist through six games, not to mention rough defensive metrics and only managing four shots on goal it's surprising to see Holmberg still in the lineup, and fans are equally perplexed.

Granted, it's not like Reaves is a superstar compared to Holmberg but he does offer at least something, and Berube isn't going to bench Nick Robertson even though he doesn't have a point simply because he's better on the ice. Head coach Craig Berube must see a version of Robert Thomas in Holmberg, as he put Thomas in the lineup as a 19-year-old and he shined. Both players are similar in stature, both are 25, and both offer offensive and defensive potential.

Thomas has come into his own in recent years and it's possible Holmberg does the same. It took three years before Thomas broke out, and this is Holmberg's third year; so if they follow the same trajectory then Holmberg is in for a big year. That's a big if though, and Holmberg needs to start earning his place more and more because it won't matter how much confidence Berube has in him, he'll quickly lose the fans' confidence if he can't produce.

The Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Tampa Bay Lightning at Scotiabank Arena for Amazon Prime's Monday Night Hockey as part of an exclusive deal between Rogers and Amazon Prime's video streaming service.

The game starts at 7:30 pm ET.