Marner and new PP alignment

[ACC1224]

Well if they didn't then I would assume there is truth to it. No coach/gm would allow a lie like that to be told without confronting it.

More likely they never heard it in the first place. If they addressed every dumb thing made up, assuming they are even aware of them, they'd be having press conferences daily.

 

[Mugzy97]

I don't think anyone believed that to be true.

I did not, but lots of people used it on here as another way to bash the kid

 

[123offtheglass]

Mitch in the bumper position will be an absolute headache for teams. He is one of the best in the NHL at 1 touch passing. He always has his move predetermined before getting the puck on his tape, whether its how he receives the puck to fend off the pressure or a quick one touch pass. He is truly one of the best in the game at this aspect. This will be massively beneficial from the bumper spot given the fact that you have less time to make a play once you receive the puck. Not that the video below was a powerplay, but it perfectly illustrates Mitch's ability from that spot on the ice. I wouldn't be surprised if this is a look they are experimenting with. Have Sandin wheel a little down the wall, Nylander cover's his point, Auston drift's down lower, Pass goes from Sandin into Marner at the bumper and one touch to Auston down low. Similar to the second goal on this video @ 0:45 in



This same play could be run from both sides of the ice, as Willy and Auston would both be on their 1T side. If teams start to cheat to the 1T, JT is left alone at the goal. Way too much talent to contain.

I really hope they give this formation a very long look. I expect a couple games of growing pains, but this is really the right spot for Mitch. Not to mention JT at the net front. We don't have a massively heavy shot on that PP so the risk of injury to JT blocking a shot is not as high. Our shooters are Matthews and Nylander, both of which know how to place a puck.

JT not only presents himself as a viable option down low, but he is also great at tipping pucks and cleaning up the trash. I honestly can't see this formation not working out. Everyone is playing in a spot that highlights their skillset's perfectly.

Bumper is a real hard position for most but Mitch's combination of vision, smarts & skill/creativity on the ice is really gonna pay dividends for him & his teammates; he's very good at tracking the play & providing puck support too which is key there. He won't be so opened up and telegraphed with his plays, he'll likely be the opposite and will have several less predictable no-look options from the middle. I too think that it'll be a natural fit for him.

Off of a switch with a teammate too he can suddenly become a pretty dangerous perimeter passer once defenders lose some positioning.

 

[ACC1224]

I did not, but lots of people used it on here as another way to bash the kid

People don't always think for themselves.

 

[DarkKnight]

Maybe it is time to let defensemen shoot more by design this year. Last year we only let defensemen shoot as a last ditch option, if we couldn't get it to a guy on the wall.

Let Rielly skate in and shoot. With Tavares or Bunting in front of the net, you'd get goals.

Sure sounds good, last year you knew he had no intention of shooting and when he rarely did, tried to pick corners rather than get it on net.

 

[Twine Tickler]

Bumper is a real hard position for most but Mitch's combination of vision, smarts & skill/creativity on the ice is really gonna pay dividends for him & his teammates; he's very good at tracking the play & providing puck support too which is key there. He won't be so opened up and telegraphed with his plays, he'll likely be the opposite and will have several less predictable no-look options from the middle. I too think that it'll be a natural fit for him.

Off of a switch with a teammate too he can suddenly become a pretty dangerous perimeter passer once defenders lose some positioning.

Ya I see a lot of benefit to having him there. He has zero panic with the puck on his tape. He is going to be far more mobile in that area than JT ever was. Mitch knows where he needs to be to present himself as a passing option. Whereas JT kind of relied on his wall guys to move around to open up that lane. It's important for the bumper guy to be in the exact spot where it crosses up the high and low defenders, drawing them both closer to the bumper guy. It creates a lane for a down low and it also creates more space for the shooting lanes to open from either wall. Overall I expect to see alot quicker movement of the puck with Mitch in the bumper, which will ultimately get the PK moving and push them out of position as they try and keep up.

 

[The CyNick]

Maybe put Spezza up there instead of Marner? Can't think of a different option, unless we go 5 forwards...which I think it has been done, but is not the norm for obvious reasons.

Spezza seems to always make the right plays, and a great arsenal of shots including a slap shot.

Nylander Tavares Matthews
Spezza Muzzin

Spezza could be the best of bad options. He doesn't have a scary shot though. Ideally you have a Weber type that always draws a defender out of position.

 

[egd27]

I thought Marner looked like he was having a hard time getting himself to the bumper slot the other night but it was also likely due to the Leafs not setting up well on it, so not entirely on him.

I don't think Marner is going to last too long in the bumper.

 

[diceman934]

The fact that Marner is so aggressively saying he's willing to play anywhere makes me think it actually might be true...

He always said that. It was nonsense.

 

[Antropovsky]

More likely they never heard it in the first place. If they addressed every dumb thing made up, assuming they are even aware of them, they'd be having press conferences daily.

Are you of the opinion accusations happen like this often in the NHL? Please name a 4+ other times this kind of accusation happened for the Leafs?

Alot of the time when these rumors are released there is truth to them:

I recall the marner list rumor from Babs - which was true
I recall the rumor about Kessel refusing to do a breakout a certain way years ago, Spott releases the story during a coaching clinic and it caught steam. Guess what Kessel denied it happened. Spott admitted he said it but downplayed it as light- hearted.

This was all over the news when the rumor occurred. Marner spoke to it and was vividly upset by it.

Seems like a very poorly managed team when you don't address false rumors stemming from your teams practice.

 

[WTFMAN99]

I don't think Marner is going to last too long in the bumper.

I thought left side of the net would have been a good spot for him, Danny Briere did great there.

 

[inthe6ix]

I thought left side of the net would have been a good spot for him, Danny Briere did great there.

That is Auston's side.

Probably won't, but hope we also see less of that drop pass by the D just before the neutral zone to a rushing winger on the PP because everyone does it now and it's so predictable.

 

[WTFMAN99]

That is Auston's side.

Probably won't, but hope we also see less of that drop pass by the D just before the neutral zone to a rushing winger on the PP because everyone does it now and it's so predictable.

Matthews is at the right face off circle.

 

[hullsy47]

The fact that Marner is so aggressively saying he's willing to play anywhere makes me think it actually might be true...

He should play where he's told
Hes a f***ing employee

 

[34]

The Leafs PP will be bottom of the league still.

 

[meefer]

Morgan Rielly is not the problem with our power play. Over the last 3 seasons he is 17th overall in points for Dman, while playing less time/game on the power play than all but 1 of those defensemen who has more points than he does. Increase his time on the pp by 20%, and his point total on the pp would challenge for top 10 in the NHL, and he’d still be averaging less time on the pp than the top 5 producers in the league. Flawed personnel up front, and strategy has been our enemy on the pp, not Rielly.

 

[pucksakes666]

How did the rumour start that he didn’t want to play half wall or whatever it was?

 

[m1ker]

Hmm at least JT and Kadri had a decent shot from the bumper position. It can’t hurt to try plus maybe that’s where Marners shot is the most effective

 

[zeke]

 

[The Iceman]

Marner can score from that close. Perfect spot for him. If Point is the best in the NHL from there I will say Mitch can surpass him.

Putting your best 4 forwards on the same PP unit is a good thing. Not putting your best four out there gets you reassigned as a coach.

Top 5 PP in the league this season for Toronto.

 

[Notsince67]

Marner can score from that close. Perfect spot for him. If Point is the best in the NHL from there I will say Mitch can surpass him.

Putting your best 4 forwards on the same PP unit is a good thing. Not putting your best four out there gets you reassigned as a coach.

Top 5 PP in the league this season for Toronto.

I dont think there are any hard cast rules.
When Marner played on the second unit a number of years ago, he ripped it up to the point the second became the first.
I'm not attached to a stacked line at all. Good players on the second line can give secondary players a boost when they score.

 

[inthe6ix]

I dont think there are any hard cast rules.
When Marner played on the second unit a number of years ago, he ripped it up to the point the second became the first.
I'm not attached to a stacked line at all. Good players on the second line can give secondary players a boost when they score.

PP1 normally takes the majority of the 2 minutes, so makes sense to play your best players there and stack the deck.

 

[Notsince67]

PP1 normally takes the majority of the 2 minutes, so makes sense to play your best players there and stack the deck.

I get it but minutes can be adjusted by performance. If one line doesn't work, the other gets more time.
Point is, the 1st was so abysmally bad that any shakeup would probable yield better results

 

[inthe6ix]

I get it but minutes can be adjusted by performance. If one line doesn't work, the other gets more time.
Point is, the 1st was so abysmally bad that any shakeup would probable yield better results

It wasn't the personnel that was bad, it was their formations which were too predictable.

Everyone knows we don't have a hard blast from the point, so the PK'ers clog up the passing lanes and dare us to go through them.

Moving Marner to the bumper is a start, but he definitely needs to shoot more - a lot more.

 

[zeke]