Craig Berube Reveals Why He Had to Break Up Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube did away with the William Nylander, Mitch Manrer, and John Tavares line and it is easy to see why he would do such a thing.
Craig Berube is a head coach who does not shy away from making quick decisions, especially in the middle of a game.
Craig Berube guides the Toronto Maple Leafs
That is what happened after the second period against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night as his second line was struggling.
With Mitch Marner returning from injury, he was placed alongside guys like William Nylander and John Tavares.
However, their chemistry was negligible and it became clear that they needed to be broken up.
While speaking to the media, Berube explained exactly why he felt like he needed to make a change and put these guys back on their usual line combinations.
For me, a lot of it is a guy getting in on the forecheck, getting to the net, and just being that kind of rock.
They all want the puck a lot. It is a lot. Hey, it wasn't a big sample size. I made the switch right at the end of the second period. I juggled the lines in the third a little bit.»
Overall, this is a pretty good explanation, all thing considered, although the team's lack of offense these days is still very concerning.
Luckily, the Maple Leafs have been given a gift in the form of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The team now has two weeks and this will allow them to regroup and get themselves back into the right mindset for the final push before the playoffs.
Only time will tell if guys like Mitch Marner will finally be able to get over that postseason hump.
