Should Matthews/Marner and Tavares/Nylander keep playing together at 5v5 for the remainder of the season and playoffs?

[LeafsNation75]

At Leafs practice today Sheldon Keefe had Bunting-Matthews-Marner the 1st line, with Jarnkrok-Tavares-Nylander on the 2nd line.

I'm sure a reason for that was the success Tavares and Nylander had in the 2nd period last night.

So, are those line parings something Keefe should keep together for the remainder of the season and playoffs?

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[TakeTheBody]

I like splitting them up. Marner makes Tavares not look as overpaid. I think Tavares struggles at the end of a season because he feels he hasn't contributed enough. Captains are supposed to productive.
It also makes Matthews less of a CY Young type center. It's no accident Willy is having his best season with Matthews. Willy is scoring at a record pace. Matthews has more assists.
Win win. Marner makes Pajama Boy more productive. Matthews brings out the best in Styles. They both stay productive. The two lines are deeper and better.

 

[leafsfan5]

I won't vote yes or no for this because I think the situation needs to remain fluid. If the duos are struggling or stagnant, switch it up for a different look

 

[-DeMo-]

I see these two lineups as almost identical and should just be used until the team needs a little spark then switch them, and then wait till there's another spark is needed and change them back rinse and repeat.

 

[Aashir Mallik]

Just keep it changing tbh
Last year made sense because Matthews and Marner had some next level psychic chemistry, but this season that doesn’t seem to be there

For now, keep them together, if they continue to disappoint then either:
A) if nylander and Tavares aren’t working, swap back

B) mix and match the LW if nylander and Tavares are working and try and get them more favourable matchups by relying on nylander and tavares

C) if it really doesn’t work and nylander and Tavares are, then try them on seperate lines to get three elite lines, we tried it last year with nylander on L3, we can try it a bit with Marner kr Matthews there for a bit too

 

[Buds17]

Proceed with what's working at any given time and don't feel the need to be married to a specific combination.

 

[ACC1224]

Maybe but I doubt very much they don’t flip back and forth a few times before the season is out.

 

[34]

Why not give it a few games and see how it goes.

 

[LeafalCrusader]

Just be willing to change it up.

 

[Morgs]

Voted no because I want Keefe to continue switching them if he doesn't like what he sees. We saw in the playoffs how badly Mitch (and to a lesser extent Matthews) has struggled at times, and you cannot keep them together if it isn't working. We've seen both combos work, so go with what is currently working at all times.

 

[LeafsNation75]

Just keep it changing tbh
Last year made sense because Matthews and Marner had some next level psychic chemistry, but this season that doesn’t seem to be there

For now, keep them together, if they continue to disappoint then either:
A) if nylander and Tavares aren’t working, swap back

B) mix and match the LW if nylander and Tavares are working and try and get them more favourable matchups by relying on nylander and tavares

C) if it really doesn’t work and nylander and Tavares are, then try them on seperate lines to get three elite lines, we tried it last year with nylander on L3, we can try it a bit with Marner kr Matthews there for a bit too

Besides Matthews scoring against the Islanders when he was put back on a line with Marner and yes I know that Marner didn't get an assist on his goal. The same thing happened the last time against the Bruins when Matthews tied the game in the 3rd period, with Marner getting the secondary assist.

Voted no because I want Keefe to continue switching them if he doesn't like what he sees. We saw in the playoffs how badly Mitch (and to a lesser extent Matthews) has struggled at times, and you cannot keep them together if it isn't working. We've seen both combos work, so go with what is currently working at all times.

In last years playoffs Matthews had 9 points in the seven games and Marner had 8 points in the seven games. They were also responsible for the game winning goal in Game 5. In my opinion saying they struggled at times isn't accurate.

 

[Morgs]

Besides Matthews scoring against the Islanders when he was put back on a line with Marner and yes I know that Marner didn't get an assist on his goal. The same thing happened the last time against the Bruins when Matthews tied the game in the 3rd period, with Marner getting the secondary assist.


In last years playoffs Matthews had 9 points in the seven games and Marner had 8 points in the seven games. They were also responsible for the game winning goal in Game 5. In my opinion saying they struggled at times isn't accurate.

Lmao. Alright let's pretend my statement was about one playoff, only about points, and lets also use your apparent revisionist history to pretend that the Mitch offseason hate that he's gotten over the last few years was not because of his play in the playoffs (not that I agree with, or participated in it).

 

[LeafsNation75]

Lmao. Alright let's pretend my statement was about one playoff, only about points, and lets also use your apparent revisionist history to pretend that the Mitch offseason hate that he's gotten over the last few years was not because of his play in the playoffs (not that I agree with, or participated in it).

I can't speak for others but if you do a search, I didn't post anything bashing Marner after his performance against Columbus in 2020 or Montreal in 2021. I remember there was topics on here wanting Marner traded, however I choose not to participate in them.

Did Marner struggle those years in the playoffs and was I personally frustrated. The answer to that is yes, however it was with the overall performance of the whole team and not just with Marner specifically.

 

[danny90]

Voted no because I want Keefe to continue switching them if he doesn't like what he sees. We saw in the playoffs how badly Mitch (and to a lesser extent Matthews) has struggled at times, and you cannot keep them together if it isn't working. We've seen both combos work, so go with what is currently working at all times.

Matthews and Marner were absolutely dominant together last series i don't think you can ask for more from a line in the playoffs tbh

 

[Puckstuff]

Nylander is a 100+ point pace player without Tavares. He's not the same player with him.

All 3 of the big 4 are better with each other then with Tavares. But Marner is the most creative so he's the best option to play with him. But we need a more skilled guy with Marner on the LW to get the most of that line.

 

[crump]

I like splitting them up. Marner makes Tavares not look as overpaid. I think Tavares struggles at the end of a season because he feels he hasn't contributed enough. Captains are supposed to productive.
It also makes Matthews less of a CY Young type center. It's no accident Willy is having his best season with Matthews. Willy is scoring at a record pace. Matthews has more assists.
Win win. Marner makes Pajama Boy more productive. Matthews brings out the best in Styles. They both stay productive. The two lines are deeper and better.

I think I’m having a stroke.

 

[TMLAM34]

You know Bunting, Matthews and Marner will work. Tavares and Nylander always had stretches they looked good and stretches they looked bad and when it was bad, it was pretty bad. If they decide to stick with Tavares and Nylander together, they need to make it a priority to acquire that winger to play with them if a 2nd line LW wasn’t already a priority.

 

[Dekes For Days]

I don't mind switching it up depending on the situation, but as a baseline, Matthews-Marner and Tavares-Nylander works much better.

 

[Notsince67]

At Leafs practice today Sheldon Keefe had Bunting-Matthews-Marner the 1st line, with Jarnkrok-Tavares-Nylander on the 2nd line.

I'm sure a reason for that was the success Tavares and Nylander had in the 2nd period last night.

So, are those line parings something Keefe should keep together for the remainder of the season and playoffs?

Whenever something isn't working, change it. The team needs 2 top lines.

 

[Larcos_Unal]

Worst thing you can do is lock in your philosophy and be unwilling to deviate. Keefe should be able to switch up lines mid-game/mid-period if things aren't working, not lock in players til end of year.

 

[AllHeartNoSkill]

If you run into a team relying heavily on match-ups, it would be nice to be able to juggle the stars and make the other team scramble their lineups. Not sure that would work against EVERY teams. But it might not be a bad tool to have.

 

[ACC1224]

There are some that actually believe they won't switch the lines at any point for the rest of the year, that this makes sense and is a good thing?
Not sure how any of these conclusions are arrived at.

 

[Budz]

I prefer Marner with JT.

The one thing that I do like about Willy/JT is that it forces JT to play at a faster tempo.

 

[hotpaws]

I voted to keep Willie and JT together ,

Willie's faster than Mitch so with Johnny Supersonics new found speed this year he may be able to keep up with mumbles a little better .

 

[notDatsyuk]

Nylander is a 100+ point pace player without Tavares. He's not the same player with him.

All 3 of the big 4 are better with each other then with Tavares. But Marner is the most creative so he's the best option to play with him. But we need a more skilled guy with Marner on the LW to get the most of that line.

True, but neither is Mitch.

I think Willy can generate more offence on his own than Mitch, who has more of a set-up style.

I think switching keeps both lines fresh, and also makes it harder for opponents to strategize.