Two games is an awfully small sample size.
Steven Lorentz leads the Leafs in scoring as of this writing. I love to see it, because he and his family have the passion.
If I were a betting man I’d say that there will a new leader before the clock strikes midnight. With the way he has been playing that would be a bet I’d be in risk of losing.
What has been curious so far is just how invisible the star players on this team have been, while the likes of Lorentz, Nick Robertson, Bobby McMann, Max Pacioretty, Ryan Reaves, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Chris Tanev have stood out from the crowd. All of those players are new to the team or couldn’t/didn’t impress former bench boss, Sheldon Keefe, save for Reaves. The vision behind the bench has certainly changed.
Craig Berube’s system calls for more north-south play. Less dipsy-doodle-dangling and more board and net front battling is the message being given. This is why it’s no surprise to me that Mitch Marner and William Nylander, especially, haven’t been able to find their way yet, while the before mentioned players have. They’ll come around, they’re too good not to, but they certainly appear to be struggling with the changes at the moment. Finding open ice, rather than battling through coverage, has been their calling cards since they entered the league and now they’re being told that if somebody is in the way you have to go through them, not around them. It’s easier said than done.
So, when I see people on the interwebs asking which star player “will never get it” and be able to adapt to Berube’s system and have to take in the debate that has waged for years, Marner vs Nylander, you’ll have to forgive me when I roll my eyes and scroll past quickly. You can put a new twist on the debate all you want, but the answer has never been “either” and has always been “neither.” I’ve said that for years. Neither one has helped this team win at the hardest moments. Neither one has put the team ahead of themselves. Neither one will truly be able to adapt and play the way Craig Berube wants them to….. probably.
To pull a Darren Dreger I’ll refuse to commit to that statement. Maybe I’m wrong, after all, they’re far too talented to simply stop producing on the scoresheet and two games is an awfully small sample size.
I’ll update with the lineup when we know more, but hopefully we’ll see the only $11M+ player that has a goal so far this season in the lineup tonight.
Enjoy the game. Go Leafs Go!!