Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies will now play on John Tavares’s left wing.Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press
It was all change for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday as they took the ice for a lunchtime practice.
Both the forward lines and defensive pairings had been thrown into the proverbial blender with head coach Craig Berube finally running out of patience with the status quo amid the team’s 3-3-1 start to the season.
While the blueline changes were forced, with Chris Tanev being placed on injured reserve Thursday and Morgan Rielly missing practice with an injury – throwing his availability for the weekend’s home-and-home series with the Buffalo Sabres in doubt – the makeover of the forward ranks was very much by design.
So Auston Matthews found himself between William Nylander and Bobby McMann, with Matthew Knies dropping down to John Tavares’s left wing. Max Domi, who played right wing alongside Matthews and Knies in Tuesday’s loss to the New Jersey Devils, was back at centre, on the fourth line between Steven Lorentz and Calle Jarnkrok. Rookie Easton Cowan, who sat out Tuesday’s loss, was back in at right wing on the third line with Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua.
Leafs looking for a cure to their middling start
Following back-to-back losses, Berube decided to roll the dice and break up his long-term forward pairs, with Matthews and Knies, and Tavares and Nylander having played together consistently since the head coach stepped behind the Toronto bench last year.
“I don’t have much patience, I like results,” Berube said after Thursday’s practice. “But really I’ve only changed one player most of the time. I work in pairs. … Mixing guys up a little bit is not a bad thing all the time.
“We need more consistency, so that’s what I’m looking for.”
The players themselves seemed fairly unfazed by the overhaul, with Matthews pointing out that in the team’s quest to put a solid 60-minute effort on the ice, a timely change can have the desired effect.
“Sometimes that stuff’s good,” the Leafs captain said. “Just get a different feel for linemates, different kind of change of scenery. So obviously we’d like to get the offence going a little bit, and sometimes a little switch-up is kind of a spark you need.”
Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews could benefit from a change with his linemates. The team’s captain has six points in the Leafs’ seven games.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
While Nylander has picked up where he left off in the playoffs last year – currently leading the team in scoring with 13 points – Matthews has been some way short of his normal high-scoring standards, chipping in with just four goals (including two empty-netters) and two assists.
Nylander, as he does with seemingly everything in life, took the switch in stride, adding that he thinks the shuffle will be good for both of them.
“When we came into the league, I think we played together for a while,” he said. “And then sometimes on and off throughout the season. So we’re out there on the ice quite a bit, and we’ve built chemistry over this time we’ve been here together.
“So I know that it clicks when we play together.”
Moving Knies to the second line means that Tavares may have a different set-up man when he becomes the newest member of the NHL’s hallowed 500-goal club. The 35-year-old is currently sitting on 498 goals, and could reach the mark over the weekend, becoming just the second player to do so wearing a Leafs jersey, following former Toronto captain Mats Sundin.
“I wasn’t aware of that, so yeah, a bit surprising,” Tavares said. “But no doubt there’s going to be a few more here obviously, a few guys are projecting pretty well on this team.”
On the back end, Rielly skated before the rest of the team on Thursday, with Berube saying the blueliner is “dealing with something,” adding he was unsure about his status for Friday’s game in Buffalo.
And Tanev’s move to the IR – which means he will miss at least the Leafs’ next three games – also allowed the team to recall Dakota Mermis from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.