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It’s only been two games heading into the weekend, but there are already some hot takes around Toronto about what the Maple Leafs should be doing with their lineup. With the slow start of hotshot rookie Gavin McKenna, and the red-hot start of second-year man Easton Cowan, the chatter is picking up.
Head coach Jim Hiller has already insisted that he isn’t inclined to change up Cowan’s spot on the third line.
But now former NHL team president, general manager and head coach Doug MacLean has come out and strongly insisted on some big changes to the Toronto lineup. He told the boys on the Kyper & Bourne Show that both McKenna and Cowan should be moving up the lineup.
Try McKenna with (Auston) Matthews! Put him up with Matthews and put Roslovic down. Try that. (Auston) Matthews, (Kirill) Marchenko & McKenna. Just try it! And move Cowan up and let’s try and move some of these other guys out of the way.
Everybody’s raving about their bottom six. And I’m saying, ‘Uh, it looks like last year’s to me, but with different names.’
While bashing the bottom six was just a quick one-liner, MacLean saved his real fury for the idea of having journeyman Jack Roslovic on the top line with Matthews.
Why Roslovic should not be on top line with Auston Matthews: Former GM
You know how important it is for (GM John) Chayka and Jim Hiller and company for Matthews to become what he was two years ago. It’s critical for this franchise. He has got to come back. So what do you do to help him? Marchenko will probably help him more… I think it’s all about Matthews. I really do. And they’ve got to surround him with the best possible people. And when I see Roslovic out there with him, I just cringe.
Matthews has got to be THE GUY. And Roslovic is not the guy to help him get there. Let me tell you that.
With Roslovic in your top six, you’ve got some major problems.
Roslovic, of course, has a history with Matthews, and the two go way back to when they were teammates as teenagers with the U.S. National Team Development Program over a dozen years ago. They formed a potent line, along with fellow American Matthew Tkachuk, that dubbed itself ‘The Superman Line’. And if this season is about making their captain happy and enjoying hockey again, adding his longtime buddy could be a factor.
During training camp, Matthews said of Roslovic, “We had a lot of good memories, honestly. Those two years were so much fun. We had a lot of success. … It’s pretty cool to reminisce on those times. Obviously it’s exciting having him on the team here, to play with him and be around him again, hang out. He’s a blast to be around.”
Of course, if that doesn’t translate to some blasts bulging the twine on a regular basis, it’ll all be for naught. Matthews needs to get back to being a 40+ goal scorer if this team is to have success this season. Everybody knows that.
Is a McKenna/Matthews pairing inevitable in Toronto?
First overall pick McKenna is known for his hockey IQ, his ability to see the ice, and to be an elite playmaker. As MacLean alludes to, that should be more of a consideration for the Leafs this season to help get Matthews going, rather than to appease him with a childhood buddy on his line.
Roslovic was signed to a two-year, $8 million deal ($4M AAV) this past offseason after two consecutive 20-goal seasons. But he’s also on his sixth team in 11 NHL seasons. He was always known as a playmaker coming up into the league, so the possibility that he can evolve as a helper for Matthews is there. And McKenna is still an 18-year-old kid trying to adjust to playing with men in the top hockey league in the world. All of this will take time, however it shakes out.
We’ll see where it goes from here. But if Matthews, the former league MVP and three-time Rocket Richard winner can’t get back to his 40-, 50-, or 60-goal ways, Toronto could find themselves in a tough spot once again this season.
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