Get Marner Off The Top Line

Team: 2020-21 Toronto Maple Leafs

Initial Creation Date: May 29, 2021

Published: May 29, 2021

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

The Leafs top line has been pretty quiet so far & from what I’ve even, Marner is the main reason behind it. He is killing a lot of offensive zone actions cuz he’s holding onto the puck too long and trying to force passes to lanes that aren’t available. On the forecheck, he is hanging too deep when his linemates are battling which allows the opposition to easily exit the zone. Overall, I think Mitch relies too heavily on Matthews to carry him. He is always trying to defer to him when he gets the puck and the opposition have are able to close the gap on him. I would play him on the fourth line with Spezza & Thornton against easier competition, give him the opportunity to exploit his skillset & dictate the tempo of the game.