Weekend games against the Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators provided a clearer picture of what the Toronto Maple Leafs’ playoff lineup should look like. With their first-round opponent having been known for weeks, and home-ice advantage all but clinched, settling on a roster for the playoff opener against the Tampa Bay Lightning is the last item to determine.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe must still decide whether to go with a conventional split of twelve forwards and six defencemen or eleven forwards and seven “D”. This past weekend supplied more feedback for Keefe as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ playoff lineup is coming into focus.
Defence Pairings Becoming More Clear
Keefe has used multiple defence combinations throughout the year. This will bode well as the season winds down, especially if the Leafs decide to go with seven defencemen in the playoffs. The flexibility to play with a variety of partners is a plus.
Recent games have shown that a top 6 is beginning to distinguish itself from the bottom of the depth chart. Timothy Liljegren has played himself out of the lineup should Keefe decide to go with only six defencemen. This happened Sunday night in Nashville. During his last ten games, he has contributed little offensively. His time on the ice during this stretch also reflects a lack of confidence from the Leafs’ coaching staff. A weak clearing attempt that led to the Hurricanes’ game-winning goal on Saturday reflects his diminishing effectiveness. Jake McCabe, T.J. Brodie, Morgan Rielly, and Mark Giordano have earned the right to start the first game of the playoffs. Recent acquisition Luke Schenn brings valuable elements of size, toughness, and experience to the blue line. That leaves Liljegren, Erik Gustafsson, Justin Holl and Conor Timmins on the outside looking in come playoff time.
Forward Units Beginning To Take Shape
The recent use of eleven forwards on many nights has allowed Keefe to see numerous combinations. The return of Ryan O’Reilly, possibly before the regular season finishes, which will allow for more tinkering. Yet, there are intriguing possibilities that Keefe indeed has noted.
Calle Jarnkrok has been a revelation playing alongside Auston Matthews. Matthews has complimented his quick release, evidenced by five goals in his last ten games, many of them of the pretty variety. Reinstating Mitch Marner with Matthews, plus adding Jarnkrok, has invigorated Matthews. He suddenly resembles the Hart trophy-winning, sixty-goal scorer, from last year. This is great news for the team as the playoffs are near.
Jarnkrok-Matthews-Marner must be kept together. That leaves Michael Bunting and William Nylander with John Tavares. Tavares has maintained his production and has been a big part of Nylander’s career year. The major remaining decision is how to slot O’Reilly into the lineup. This is a good problem to have. Zach Aston-Reese and David Kampf will form two-thirds of the fourth line. Should Keefe stack his top two lines, Bunting could be bumped down to form a third line with some combination of Alex Kerfoot, Noel Acciari, and Sam Lafferty.
Leafs Might Choose Unconventional Lineup
During recent games, it has been unusual to see the Leafs trot out eleven forwards and seven defencemen. The O’Reilly injury and abundance of defence options have justified this choice. Most followers of the team speculate that once O’Reilly returns so will the more traditional twelve-six lineup. Not so fast.
Using eleven forwards gives Keefe the option to give the extra ice time to Matthews, Marner, Tavares, O’Reilly, and Nylander. The team’s success in the playoffs will largely depend on this group. It also allows added flexibility to the second and third lines. Keefe could power up his top two lines or spread the wealth. This is easier to do with one less forward in the lineup. It also makes it more difficult for the opposing coach to match lines during the game.
Recent games have helped Keefe’s playoff lineup come into focus. General manager Kyle Dubas has provided Keefe with more options than he has had during his tenure. Now, he needs to properly use it.
Main Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
