The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading into the new season with a few glaring holes in the lineup. With restricted free agent Mitch Marner still unsigned, the Leafs must be prepared to play on opening night with or without him. His absence combined with the projected absences of injured players will drastically shape of the Maple Leafs lineup come October.
To be fair, there is still plenty of time to get Marner signed before the beginning of the season. With the precedent of William Nylander’s absence, there is immense pressure to have Marner playing as soon as possible. No one wants a repeat of last season. However, in a worst-case scenario where Marner is sitting out, the Leafs must be ready to get creative without him.
Because it’s the beginning of the season, there will already be guaranteed experimentation in the bottom six. Figuring out who will stay with the Leafs and who will be sent down is inevitable in the first few weeks. So with guaranteed transience in the bottom six, the only real issue is the top half of the offense.
The Matthews line can likely remain intact. With the addition of center depth over the offseason, William Nylander can be safely returned to Matthews’ right-wing. Andreas Johnsson could potentially remain on this line, as well, leaving it mostly untouched.
Left Wing
However, the blows to the top line may affect the balance of the Matthews line. With Zach Hyman due to remain on injured reserve come October, there is a noticeable lack on the left-wing. The only guarantee for the top line is Tavares. Finding him competent wingers for the meantime is absolutely crucial. Johnsson and Tavares are already accustomed to playing on a power-play unit together. Perhaps Johnsson can be borrowed from the Matthews line to fill in until Hyman’s return.
Hyman’s absence really highlights how shallow the Leafs’ left side depth really is. After Johnsson, Trevor Moore is the next candidate in line. Moore is not the most confident choice for the Tavares line, which makes Johnsson on the Tavares line more plausible. Moore would fill in on the Matthews line instead. Although the situation is not ideal, it should be enough to hold the team together until Hyman is healthy.
Right Wing
Now if Marner is still out, the Maple Leafs have solid enough right side depth that a Marner-sized hole can be easily patched for the short term. If Hyman were healthy, a Marner absence would not be as big of an issue in the overall lineup.
The obvious candidate to substitute Marner is Kasperi Kapanen. He did a well enough job covering for Nylander last season, so he can likely do it again for Marner. While Kapanen wasn’t Nylander before and isn’t Marner now, he is skilled enough as a player to fill in for the meantime.
If and when Marner is back on the roster, he can reclaim his spot and bump Kapanen down to the third line. While the bottom six can be expected to start out with experimental combinations, eventually creating a reliable third scoring line with Kapanen should be the ultimate goal. The scoring depth will shift dramatically. A potential third line of Petan – Kerfoot – Kapanen has absolute powerhouse potential.
Overall, the opening night roster will be lacking, with or without Mitch Marner signed. Zach Hyman’s injury is arguably more drastic because his return is crucial to solidifying left-wing depth. The Tavares line will feel the effects of both wingers’ absences, but there are stronger substitutes available to fill out the right side where the left is lacking.
Ideally, Mitch Marner will be signed by opening night, but the options for the lineup will provide a solid, winning solution in the short term. Maple Leafs must prepare for a Marner-less opener.
Follow Jacqueline on Twitter @jxcquelineoh
