Craig Berube's Reason Behind Marner-Tavares-Nylander Line Split Finally Revealed
Craig Berube ended his forward experiment early against the Vancouver Canucks and revealed why he broke things up. Do the Maple Leafs need to change their lineup again?
The Maple Leafs scoring depth is pretty awful, we know that. Craig Berube tried to change things up by adding Mitch Marner to John Tavares and William Nylander's line but it only lasted a short while.
He broke things up in the third period against the Vancouver Canucks, and and though the team fell 2-1 -- Berube thought they played well.
But he wasn't shy about explaining why he broke up the line and it's probably a good idea he did:
For me, a lot of it is a guy getting in on the forecheck, getting to the net, and just being that kind of rock.
They all want the puck a lot. It is a lot. Hey, it wasn't a big sample size. I made the switch right at the end of the second period. I juggled the lines in the third a little bit.
So let's talk about why the Marner - Tavares - Nylander line doesn't work.
Too Many Cooks In The Kitchen: Why Craig Berube Made A Lineup Change For Maple Leafs
It's hard to argue that the level of talent on the Leafs second line is one that should be successful given how much playmaking and goal scoring potential is there.
But the issue is in how much these players like to hold the puck.
On the first line, Marner is the catalyst who often makes the plays while Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies take care of the goal-scoring. He's not a shooter, and is a possession heavy, pass-first player.
Tavares is the exact same player, though he tends to put more pucks on net. He's been a fantastic goal-scorer in his career, but enjoys taking the puck into the zone and making the first move.
Nylander is a scorer first and foremost, but he also prefers to carry the puck on his own and create breakaway chances, and prefers to go one on one. It doesn't mesh well with two other players who want the puck to create offense.
But therein lies another issue -- who is the rock in front of the net? You need a big body in front of the net to hold it down for screens and potential tipped shots.
Take a look at Max Pacioretty's goal below -- no one on the Tavares/Nylander/Marner line has the size to crash the net and provide such an impact.
Marner and Nylander are both smaller statured players, and Tavares is big at 6'1, 216-pounds, but he isn't a park the bus power forward and needs to be on the puck or the wrecking ball headed toward the net.
The first line has Matthew Knies. The third line has Bobby McMann. The fourth line has Max Pacioretty. What do these three have in common? Size.
You wouldn't catch Marner or Nylander in the same spot. So it's imperative that the Maple Leafs spread things out a bit more.
Moving McMann into Marner's spot, and moving Marner down to play with Nick Robertson and Steven Lorentz would give Toronto a trio of balanced lines.
Knies - Matthews - Domi
McMann - Tavares - Nylander
Robertson - Lorentz - Marner
Holmberg - Kampf - Pacioretty
Each line has a playmaker, a power forward, and a scoring option (yes, even the fourth has potential).
Craig Berube tried something he thought would work, and it failed -- much like his other experiments this season.
But now he has two weeks to work out a new game plan as the team awaits the end of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
What do YOU think? Should Craig Berube try and spread out his lines to add some depth to the Maple Leafs? Let us know!
