Maple Leafs Shuffle Lineup With New Additions Ahead of Matchup Against the Golden Knights
The Maple Leafs are dealing with a ton of injuries, and with all of their call-ups, a big lineup change is in place. How did Craig Berube put the squad together?
It's been a wild ride for the Maple Leafs the last two weeks. Dealing with Auston Matthews' injury uncertainty, playing a multitude of back-to-back games, and having to do it without any bottom-six production have made things difficult, but they persevered; going 5-1-0 during that stretch.
They lucked out by having a few days off between games and giving their injured players some more time to rest, no doubt they'll be back and better than ever.
However, there is still a game to play on Wednesday, and Craig Berube has made a few changes to the team in order to fit all of his pieces.
Toronto's Lines For Wednesday
With Vegas heading into Toronto on Wednesday, Craig Berube needs to maximize his players to make sure he doesn't stretch them too thin, although he is known for grinding his players down.
But with the news of David Kampf's trip to the IR now, Toronto needed to call up Fraser Minten in response, and it's giving Toronto a wildly different look from what fans can expect.
The first line sees John Tavares man the middle between Mitch Marner and Bobby McMann, not a bad choice considering how scorching hot all three have been lately, and giving them another chance to explode offensively can only help.
Max Domi slides into the second center position in between Matthew Knies and William Nylander as Berube hopes those two can spark Domi and perhaps get him his first goal in 7 months.
This is where things get interesting. Minten earns third-line duties at center and gets to play with youngsters Nick Robertson and Pontus Holmberg. The potential chemistry of Minten and Robertson is enticing, and Holmberg can play a more defensive role to open up the ice.
Ryan Reaves' suspension means he is out for the next five games, so Toronto made some big adjustments there as well. Steven Lorentz takes over in his natural position filling in for Kampf, as AHL standout Alex Steeves and burgeoning forward Connor Dewar play on his wings.
It will be exciting to see a revamped Maple Leafs lineup although it is unfortunate that it comes at the expense of so many injured players. It's time for them to step up, there are no more excuses.
Toronto takes on the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday, Nov. 20 from Scotiabank Arena. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM ET.
| POLL | ||
Which line will make the most impact for the Maple Leafs on Wednesday? | ||
