Leafs Address Big Potential Move to Bolster Top Line With Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
The Maple Leafs are confirmed to be pondering a major move that will impact the top line amid struggles to get Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies going.
A Lack of Assets Hurting Leafs’ Trade Hopes
Unfortunately, with a lack of blue chip assets to deal outside of Easton Cowan and Ben Danford and a shortage of potential trade partners available due to the rising cap alleviating many teams’ cap crunches, the Leafs have come up empty-handed for their efforts.
An Internal Top Line Solution for the Maple Leafs
As struggles continue for the team, who is off to a disappointing 3-3-1 start, many are pondering internal options to help Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies turn on the jets and pop off offensively like they have shown they can do. One of the primary options appears to be bumping up William Nylander.
On Wednesday, following practice, head coach Craig Berube was asked about this proposition when speaking with the Toronto media. His response gave fans and pundits hope that such a move may actually occur.
It’s definitely something I’m thinking about.
The question here is, will moving Nylander up to play with Matthews boost the production enough to negate the hole they’d be creating on the second line next to Tavares?
Cowan a Part of the Solution?
After spending last game as a healthy scratch in the press box, Easton Cowan may be able to jump right in on that second line next to Tavares, if the Leafs opt to go that way, and add some youthful exuberance to Tavares’ wing. He hasn’t looked out of place, so perhaps this is a solution to the RW2 problem if Nylander is elevated.
The Leafs have a couple more days to ponder lineup decisions before the upcoming back-to-back against the Sabres this weekend.
Previously on Maple Leafs Daily
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