Leafs Urged to Make Crucial Decision with William Nylander and Mitch Marner once Auston Matthews Returns
When Auston Matthews returns from injury, the Maple Leafs will no doubt welcome him back, but what does that mean for Mitch Marner and William Nylander?
The Toronto Maple Leafs would like to have Auston Matthews back sooner rather than later, and he will no doubt add some extra firepower to a team that has done well in his absence.
He's not the only one on the shelf and Toronto would love to have Matthew Knies, Max Domi, and David Kampf back as well, but if Matthews can come back they'll take that as a start.
He's back skating but not in a full practice yet, and if everything goes well then he might be back for Wednesday.
However, there is a question of where does he go?
Of course, it seems ridiculous to think he would be anywhere but the top line, and while that's more than likely true; he needs a new set of line-mates and it's time for the others to lead their own lines too.
Mitch Marner and William Nylander Deserve Their Own Lines
For a team that isn't deep, they sure do have their fair share of superstars with names like Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares, and Knies.
But the Maple Leafs tend to overload their two lines and try to create some type of super-line that creates chaos.
But for as great as the idea is, the successes have only come during the regular season, and it feels like they can overpower teams just on these players alone.
It doesn't work, and perhaps the Maple Leafs would be better off with a more more even spread of their stars.
Mitch Marner has shown that he can lead an offense, and has been on an absolute tear since Auston Matthews went down with an injury.
So why not give him his own line and let him run wild there?
Evidently, he doesn't need Auston Matthews in order to succeed and makes everyone around him better.
Mitch Marner could play with John Tavares and Matthew Knies on the second line and create a dynamic trio that has loads of potential.
William Nylander deserves his own line too, and he's shown he's not only one of the league's elite goal scorers, but his relentless engine and improved defense would give Craig Berube a dangerous third line monster, with the potential to be the 3C they always needed.
What Does A New Toronto Lineup Look Like?
With everyone healthy (minus Calle Jarnkrok and Max Pacioretty who are out long-term, and any callups) here is a potential set of lines once Matthews returns to the lineup:
McMann -- Matthews -- Domi
Knies -- Tavares -- Marner
Robertson -- W. Nylander -- Lorentz
Dewar -- Kampf -- Holmberg/Reaves
The first line allows Auston Matthews to have a playmaker like Mitch Marner in Max Domi, and a power forward with speed and scoring like Bobby McMann.
Auston Matthews is so impactful he could help with Max Domi's defensive struggles, and Bobby McMann is starting to break out; and could do the same as Knies did being put beside the captain.
The second line brings Mitch Marner together with John Tavares and Matthew Knies, and his familiarity with both his old linemate and the chemistry he's built up with Tavares in Auston Matthews' absence shouldn't be ignored.
William Nylander gets a chance to run with his own line and is good enough to bring the offense to that line while being able to play defense.
Nick Robertson is in for now, but could be replaced by Pontus Holmberg or even Alex Nylander, and create Toronto's version of the Sedin Brothers.
The fourth line doesn't change much, but that's what Craig Berube wants. He needs a scrappy fourth line and Dewar provides good enough offensive potential to worry about it.
David Kampf is their solid shutdown faceoff man and Ryan Reaves is their engine, so nothing needs a real drastic shift there.
All of these lines end up splitting the stars evenly between their lines and give them a more balanced group of forwards as opposed to Sheldon Keefe's old idea of throwing everyone together.
It's not perfect but it could fix a lot of issues.
FAQ: Leafs Need To Make A Decision On William Nylander and Mitch Marner
Q1: What decision do the Maple Leafs need to make?
A1: Besides worrying about Marner's contract issues, the main decision they need to make is how to properly distribute their stars so that each line benefits from their strengths. Matthews, Marner, and Nylander are all superstars and deserve a chance to run their own lines and make their teammates better.
Q2: When is Auston Matthews returning from injury?
A2: Auston Matthews is likely to return next Saturday against Tampa Bay, however there is potential for the Maple Leafs captain to return to the lineup Wednesday against Florida if both he and Craig Berube believe he's ready.
In closing, the Toronto Maple Leafs need to do a better job at spreading out their stars, not only because they have proven they don't need to be together in order to produce, but also because it helps make the team more balanced game to game.
