In recent years, the Toronto Maple Leafs have experimented with various lineups featuring their core four players: Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander. Despite their regular-season success, these combinations have consistently fallen short in the playoffs.
**Different Head Coaches Tried Different Lineups, Not Much Worked**
Former head coach Mike Babcock was reluctant to play Matthews and Marner together, except when injuries forced his hand. He paired Nylander with Matthews and Marner with Tavares, constantly searching for a suitable left-winger. When Sheldon Keefe took over, he primarily paired Matthews with Marner and Nylander with Tavares. Keefe attempted several changes during the playoffs, first giving Nylander his own line and then trying the same with Marner, but none of these strategies yielded the desired results.
Other than occasionally stacking the lines when down a goal late in the game, Maple Leafs fans have rarely seen a consistently stacked line. Could new head coach Craig Berube bring about this change?
**Berube Has Never Coached a Team With the Talent the Maple Leafs Can Ice**
Berube has never managed a team with the level of top-end talent that the Maple Leafs possess. The most offensively gifted player he coached on the St. Louis Blues was Ryan O’Reilly, whose best season included 28 goals and 77 points. These numbers are modest compared to the recent performances of Matthews, Marner, and Nylander, aligning more closely with Tavares’ typical output.
O’Reilly was the only St. Louis forward to average over 20 minutes per game under Berube, peaking at 23 minutes per game during the 2020 Playoffs. In contrast, Matthews and Marner have consistently averaged over 21 minutes per game in the regular season and 23 minutes in the playoffs for the past five years. Nylander joined this trend last season, averaging just under 20 minutes per game in the regular season and almost 21 minutes in the playoffs.
**Could Berube Stack a Line of Matthews, Marner, and Nylander?**
All three Maple Leafs stars are in their prime, aged 27 or 28, and capable of handling 20 to 21 minutes per game. This raises the question: Could Berube form a top line of Marner, Matthews, and Nylander and give them 20 to 21 minutes of ice time together? This would leave 39 to 40 minutes per game for the other three lines, averaging 13 to 14 minutes per line, which could be adjusted based on their balance.
**If Berube Stacked a Line, What Might the Other Lines Look Like?**
If Berube were to create a stacked top line, the other lines could look something like this:
– **Second Line:** Matthew Knies – John Tavares – Calle Jarnkrok
– **Third Line:** Nick Robertson – Max Domi – Bobby McMann
– **Fourth Line:** Pontus Holmberg – David Kampf – Ryan Reaves
This is just one possibility. If restricted free agent (RFA) Nick Robertson doesn’t reach a deal, Easton Cowan could take his spot. Bobby McMann and Calle Jarnkrok could switch places. Max Domi might move up to join Tavares on the wing, with Pontus Holmberg shifting to center. The goal would be to assemble three lines capable of holding their own defensively while contributing offensively.
This is all speculative, of course. Berube has the advantage of learning from what hasn’t worked in the past. Loading up the number one line is a new approach and hasn’t been tried yet. It might prove successful. Berube could even move Tavares to the wing for an additional look. Essentially, Berube has the opportunity to create a fresh lineup. The question remains: will he take that chance?