Mitch Marner Demoted by Team Canada's Jon Cooper in Stunning Line Shakeup
Mitch Marner has found himself demoted ahead of Canada's crucial matchup against Finland on Monday, as coach Jon Cooper tries to shake things up.
As Canada heads into their do or die game against Finland in order to set up a highly anticipated rematch with the United States, coach Jon Cooper is changing things up.
Lines ahead of the game have a different look and it seems that Mitch Marner was the casualty of a demotion.
Marner gets replaced by Tampa Bay forward Brayden Point while Brandon Hagel lines up with Marner and gets bumped up from the fourth line.
It seems the reason being that Marner and former linemate Connor McDavid didn't necessarily click together.
It's clear to Cooper that having two playmakers on the same line wasn't conducive to success for the Canadians. -- So what's the game plan going to be for Canada?
Team Canada Lineup Shuffle Meant To Spark Stagnant Offense
Keeping in mind the firepower that the Canadians possess, it's hard to imagine they've only scored four goals this tournament -- Marner being one of them.
While he didn't impress during the U.S. game, neither did a lot of players, and Marner being the scapegoat is a bit of a bummer for a guy who was the hero in game one.
Putting McDavid with two scorers in Point and Stone will give him a better chance to distribute the puck and use his elite vision to make chances. Marner dropping down to a more checking style of play isn't the worst thing though, he's a sneaky good defender and good enough to create offense with his linemates.
Canada is going to be motivated as well as a potential rematch with the U.S. is the focus of fans and players everywhere. With Brady Tkachuk setting up a instant classic with his latest comments -- Canada needs to dominate Finland.
It will be interesting to see how the new lines mesh together given they had such minimal time to work as a unit. Canada hopes they can, or they'll see a swift and disappointing exit.
![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) plays the puck against Team Finland in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/529741.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) plays the puck against Team Finland in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates with Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) his goal against Team Finland in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/529526.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates with Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) his goal against Team Finland in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
