Through 21 games played in 2023-24, Zadorov has one goal and five assists. He was playing in his third season with the Flames.
Zadorov’s fit with the Canucks
Zadorov is probably a suboptimal fit in Vancouver over the medium-term, given that he’s a left-handed defender and the club’s greatest long-term need is on the right side of their defense corps.
Vancouver has often dressed four righties in recent games and will be without sturdy, left-handed blue liner Carson Soucy through at least the New Year. Short-term, Zadorov brings a level of credible NHL depth that Vancouver sorely needed to protect their start.
When Soucy returns, it will be fascinating to see how Vancouver manages their defense pairs, given coach Rick Tocchet’s preference for playing blue liners on their strong side. Zadorov can play the right side a bit, but has typically been a left-side only option in Calgary.
Those long-term considerations will be interesting to monitor, but there’s no doubt that Zadorov is going to immediately offer some sorely needed stability on the back end. — Thomas Drance, Canucks beat writer
The price paid for Zadorov
Vancouver effectively turned a 2026 third-round pick and Beauvillier — both his cap space, and the pick acquired from Chicago in Wednesday’s trade — into a significant depth upgrade on their back-end. That’s quality work and a modest price paid.
Although the club has spent perhaps too much in draft capital for depth players over the past few months, any reasonable cost-benefit analysis of such a strategy has to account for how well Vancouver has played for the first two months of the season.
This team was trending toward being a buyer at the NHL trade deadline anyway, and a third-round pick for a solid, physical expiring blue liner is roughly market price. Getting the deal done now is effectively just jumping the market at a particularly high-leverage moment for the club, given how the team’s form has sagged over the past few weeks, and their significant need for blue-line help.
Overall it’s a modest price, for a useful player. And a solid maneuver for a team that’s clearly intent on finding ways to sustain the early season form that has them battling the likes of Vegas and Los Angeles at the apex of the Pacific Division through the first quarter of the campaign. — Drance
What this move means for Calgary
Some Flames fans will understandably see this as a light return compared to their expectations. Over two weeks ago, it was suggested via collaboration with Harman Dayal that the Flames could want a third-round pick or a young player as a possible return for Zadorov in a trade. Calgary gets their third-rounder, but they can only use it in 2026. Instead, the Flames’ only 2024 pick from the deal is a fifth-rounder.
The return is one thing, but the most surprising aspect about this trade is that it happened as fast as it did. Yes, Zadorov asked for a trade. But the Flames were under no obligation to complete it as fast as he, or his agent Dan Milstein, would have wanted. Milstein even confirmed to The Athletic that there was no deadline imposed by him for a trade to be consummated. Craig Conroy has been more than fine with a wait-and-see approach with his pending UFAs since becoming Flames GM. This feels a bit like a counterpunch to that thinking. Even if Zadorov never had the same potential value compared to Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin.
If the Flames had waited until the March 8 trade deadline, they ran the risk of their asset’s value fluctuating depending on his play or health. But there was also a chance that they’d get a better return. Flames fans can only wonder now. If it’s any consolation, Calgary managed to get draft picks for a third-pairing defenceman. It remains to be seen how the Canucks will use Zadorov, but the Flames can at least say they got something for a player not regularly in their top-four defensive core.
Earlier this week, the Flames called up Jordan Oesterle who can make up for the loss of Zadorov. But the team specified in their release that the move would make room for one of their “young prospects to prove himself in the NHL.” In terms of defensive prospects, is that Jérémie Poirier’s music once he’s healthy? Ilya Solovyov already has two NHL games under his belt, so he’s another candidate for full-time NHL minutes.
It’s a move with an eye for the future and every Flames’ trade going forward should have that same mindset. Perhaps we just didn’t think this domino would fall this soon. —Julian McKenzie, Flames beat writer
Hockey Canada’s independent third party (ITP), an arms-length department that receives and investigates complaints of abuse, received 1,872 complaints during its first year of operation, accepting and processing 187 of them.
Hockey Canada’s ITP, run by Ottawa-area lawyers Brian Ward and Jahmiah Ferdinand, accepts “the most severe complaints and redirects the remaining complaints to Hockey Canada members,” which include provincial and territorial federations, Hockey Canada said in a 19-page report on maltreatment in the sport that was published on Thursday.
The report said that 35.3 per cent of complaints to the ITP were for bullying and harassment, 34.1 per cent were for discrimination, and five per cent were for sexual maltreatment.
The ITP agreed to investigate 50.3 per cent of the bullying and harassment complaints and 19.8 per cent of the complaints related to alleged sexual maltreatment.
Families and guardians made 1,057 complaints, while hockey associations were responsible for 598. Coaches and staff made 133 reports, while officials filed 34 complaints. The report did not detail the outcomes of complaints to the ITP.
Unlike other national and provincial sports federations, including Gymnastics Canada, Athletics Canada, and the Ontario Volleyball Association, neither Hockey Canada nor its provincial members make the names of people suspended or banned for misconduct public.
Thursday’s report also detailed complaints made to the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC), which opened last year and has jurisdiction to look into complaints related to national-team programming.
The OSIC received 25 hockey-related complaints from June 20, 2022, to June 30, 2023, but said it did not have jurisdiction to look at 24 of them. In 19 of those 24 cases, the OSIC did not have the authority to investigate because the respondent was not a member of Hockey Canada. The OSIC has not decided on jurisdiction for one of the 25 complaints it received.
Also documented in Hockey Canada’s report was an increase in the number of penalties referees called during games for discrimination-related offences, which Hockey Canada said included insults related to race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, disabilities, and marital or family status.
During the 2022-23 season, officials called 913 such penalties, up from 512 in 2021-22.
Hockey Canada said another 711 complaints were made during the season about alleged discrimination that a referee or other on-ice official did not hear. In 2021-22, there were 415 such complaints.
“In collaboration with its members, Hockey Canada acknowledges there is a need to gain a better understanding of the types of maltreatment present in hockey in order for the hockey community to address maltreatment in tangible and meaningful ways,” the report said.
“An important step in the change process is the collection and publication of national data across the sport, which builds awareness and creates dialogue to help minimize the risk that participants normalize certain behaviours. By continuing to discuss maltreatment, Hockey Canada and its members hope to break down the wall of silence around these unacceptable behaviours.”
Of the 711 penalties for verbal discrimination documented in Thursday’s report, which contravenes Hockey Canada’s Rule 11.4, 195 were called in Hockey Alberta, followed by 165 in the Ontario Hockey Federation, and 72 in Hockey Saskatchewan.
“Of the Rule 11.4 penalties called, a minimal number were levied against girls/women,” the report said. “Further, the vast majority of Rule 11.4 penalties called were against players and a low percentage were called against coaches. Uniformly across all divisions, sexual orientation/gender identity discriminatory slurs were the most common reasons for Rule 11.4 penalties called.”
Embattled forward Corey Perry cleared unconditional waivers on Wednesday, paving the way for the Chicago Blackhawks to terminate his contract, which the team said it would do “effective immediately” for what it only described as a “workplace matter” and “conduct that is unacceptable.”
Now what? The Blackhawks claimed in a statement on Tuesday that Perry was “in violation of his Standard Playing Contract and the Blackhawks’ internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments.” The big question lingering is whether Perry’s alleged misconduct has risen to the level of a material breach of his contract. For the test of time, NHL player contracts have been ironclad agreements that guarantee employment with only vaguely worded and limited exceptions that grant teams the right to terminate.
Given the lack of detail provided by the Blackhawks, it is impossible to know whether Perry’s conduct met that mostly unprecedented level of material breach. Teams have previously sent players home and continued to pay them until the expiration of their contracts, but there does not appear to be one example in recent NHL history of an active player’s contract being terminated for conduct that may be inappropriate but not illegal. The Los Angeles Kings attempted to terminate Mike Richards’ contract in 2015, four months after he was charged with attempting to cross the border in possession of controlled substances, but even then the Kings were forced to pay cap recapture penalties and termination fees to Richards totaling $10.5 million over 17 years through 2032.
According to sources, an alcohol-fueled incident involving Perry was alleged to have occurred during an event that included corporate partners and team employees in attendance. It remains unclear what allegedly took place, who witnessed it, and who reported it to the team.
Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson said that the front office learned of the allegation while in Columbus last week and “immediately pulled” Perry from the lineup prior to a Thanksgiving eve game against the Blue Jackets. Davidson declined to provide any detail about the allegation or subsequent investigation before resulting in the termination that was scheduled to be completed on Wednesday.
“As this is an individual personnel matter, I will not be able to disclose any details relating to the initial reporting, investigation or the findings,” Davidson said in prepared remarks on Tuesday before taking questions.
However, we can glean from Perry’s placement on waivers and Davidson’s answers to questions, a few pertinent facts: 1) Perry’s alleged misconduct does not involve a criminal investigation; 2) the NHL was made aware of the Blackhawks’ investigation but this was a “team incident and team decision;” 3) Perry has not been suspended by the NHL and if he was claimed on waivers on Wednesday presumably would have been free to continue playing.
That has left many other team executives and agents to wonder whether Perry’s alleged misconduct would have risen to the same level in any other organization outside of Chicago, which is still reeling and sensitive from a 2021 independent investigation revealed that Blackhawks executives covered up an alleged sexual assault committed in 2010 by team video coach Brad Aldrich.
When asked on Wednesday whether the NHL Players’ Association would move to file a grievance in defense of Perry and, ultimately, all players with a potential precedent setting termination, an NHLPA spokesperson said that that the union was “reviewing the matter.” The NHLPA has 60 days from the date of termination to file a grievance. Perry’s agent, Pat Morris of Newport Sports Management, did not immediately return a request for comment.
According to Section 2 (e) of a Standard Players Contract, all NHL players agree “to conduct himself on and off the rink according to the highest standards of honesty, morality, fair play and sportsmanship, and to refrain from conduct detrimental to the best interest of the Club, the League or professional hockey generally.”
In the same contract, it says in Section 14 (a) that teams may terminate a deal if a player shall at any time: “fail, refuse, or neglect to obey the Club’s rules governing training and conduct of Players, if such failure, refusal or neglect should constitute a material breach of this SPC.“
Typically, that clause has only been invoked for players who fail to report or fail to keep in good physical condition. It has rarely, if ever, been used to terminate a player who violates team rules for conduct. The most recently published version of the joint NHL-NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement also lists a “Form of Standard Club Rules,” which does not specifically mention anything relating to workplace conduct.
The Blackhawks also referenced Perry’s violation of “internal policies,” which may or may not be permissible as determinant for player conduct under the CBA. According to Exhibit 14, Note 2: “Each Club may make up to three (3) modifications and/or amendments to the Standard Club Rules. Clubs shall submit proposed modifications and/or amendments for consideration by the NHL and the NHLPA at least ten (10) days prior to the commencement of Training Camp.” It is unclear whether the Blackhawks submitted amendments to the NHL and NHLPA prior to the beginning of training camp.
“The organization is committed to a culture of accountability and upholding our values across our employees and players both on and off the ice,” Davidson said. Davidson appeared visibly choked up when discussing the situation, acknowledging “it’s been very tough. It’s been a tough couple days.”
Neutral league observers suggested the Blackhawks’ termination of Perry was an easy and smart step to take as a way to rebuild trust and credibility in the community. The team learned of alleged misconduct, pulled him from the lineup, conducted an investigation and moved to terminate him in a span of six days. Since Davidson said the NHL was apprised of the investigation and end result, clearly the Blackhawks received the backing of the league in their interpretation. And if Perry or the NHLPA challenged their decision via grievance, even if the end result was a settlement between player and team, at least the Blackhawks and NHL came out with a hardline stance against workplace misconduct in the meantime.
Meanwhile, agents and players expressed concern to Daily Faceoff this week about the potential of Perry’s termination becoming precedent setting for conduct that may be improper but not illegal. After all, there are players who have run afoul of the law and never received discipline rising to the level of termination. The Los Angeles Kings terminated defenseman Slava Voynov’s contract in 2017 after he had been suspended indefinitely by the NHL and served 90 days in jail for domestic assault. The San Jose Sharks terminated Evander Kane’s contract in 2022 for failure to report and presenting a fake vaccination card; Kane and the NHLPA grieved the matter, resulting in a settlement that bridged the gap between what he was due to earn in San Jose and his earnings on a new contract in Edmonton.
As one source asked: “Perry was in some ways disposable because he is 38 and not the face of the franchise. But what if he was 25 and had just signed a $70 million extension last summer? Can that just be washed away now with no questions asked? What about guys who are signed to long-term deals that are overpaid and underperforming? Can teams conveniently terminate those because a guy does something vaguely immoral on the road one weekend?”
About the only thing the Blackhawks revealed publicly was that there was zero validity to a disgusting rumor floating through social media over the last week, with Davidson saying: “I do want to be very clear on this one point: this does not involve any players or their families. And anything that suggests otherwise, or anyone that suggests otherwise, is wildly inaccurate and frankly, it’s disgusting.”
Short of that, the only thing the hockey world has been left with are more questions than answers, including exactly what Perry is alleged to have done, whether the Blackhawks have the juice to terminate his deal, and whether Perry or the NHLPA have the inclination to grieve a mostly unprecedented move.
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Panthers winger and Leafs nemesis Matthew Tkachuk (19) crashes into Toronto goaltender Joseph Woll as Matthew Knies defends on Tuesday. The Leafs finalky won the game 2-1 in a shootout. THE CANADIAN PRESSPhoto by Frank Gunn /THE CANADIAN PRESS
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Noah Gregor, Maple Leafs saviour. Weird but true.
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The fourth-line winger scored the shootout winner against the Florida Panthers in a 2-1 victory at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday after he scored the only Toronto goal in regulation.
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Joseph Woll continued to take a firmer grip on the Leafs’ No. 1 job, making 31 saves.
“Outstanding, just so solid,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “His play through the final segment of the first period (when the Leafs sagged) keeps us around in the game.”
In the shootout, the Panthers’ Nick Cousins hit the post after Gregor scored, ensuring the Leafs’ win. Cousins was the 12th shooter.
Florida thought it won when the 10th shooter, Evan Rodrigues, beat Woll. But a review, initiated by the NHL, showed Rodrigues double-tapped the puck and the goal did not count.
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Gregor was in the tunnel heading back to the room when Morgan Rielly called out and said it was being reviewed.
“I’ve never seen that before,” said Gregor, who added it was his first shootout goal in the NHL. “It’s a crazy end to the game. When we got back from the tunnel, Keefer told me I was going. I think everyone thought the game was over.”
In starting a three-game home stand, the Leafs won after losing two in a row.
A scare went into the Leafs when Mitch Marner took a Matthew Tkachuk shot to the face in the first period and dropped to the ice. Marner got up and went directly to the Leafs’ dressing room. Marner came back to start the second period, wearing a minor-hockey style cage to protect his face.
“Seems fine, other than a pretty good gash on his cheek, on his jawline,” Keefe said.
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The Leafs had a good opportunity to win in regulation when Jonah Gadjovich combed Gregor’s face with his stick and was assessed a double minor for high-sticking at 16:56 of the third. But Toronto could not get its power play organized, and the second minor became moot when the Leafs were called for too many men at 19:54, their NHL-leading eighth bench minor.
The Leafs are 0-for-11 in their past three games on the power play.
Much was made going into the game about the line changes Keefe made — swapping Marner, who played with John Tavares, and William Nylander, who skated with Auston Matthews — but it was Gregor who scored a highlight-reel goal to tie the game 1-1 in the second period.
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Gregor, who has sneaky speed, flashed down the left side and went high on Panthers goalie Anthony Stolarz at 12:54. It was Gregor’s third goal.
“Huge,” Keefe said. “I really liked his game. Tried to give him a bit extra here and there. It was great to see him come through for the guys.”
Nylander hit the post twice in the second period and drew a couple of penalties. When the Leafs needed their best players to put them in control, however, none could get it done. These tight games against division rivals are the kind where the elite are paid to make a difference. On Tuesday, that did not happen for Toronto.
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The Leafs had to play with five defencemen after Mark Giordano was hurt in the first period.
As the second period was starting, the Leafs announced that Giordano would not return because of an upper-body injury.
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Already without Timothy Liljegren (ankle) and John Klingberg (hip), the Leafs can’t afford to lose Giordano for a lengthy period of time.
“I haven’t got the final report, but it looks like he is going to miss time,” Keefe said.
If there was pressure on GM Brad Treliving to make a trade for a defenceman, that only increases. The Leafs have been getting by with a shorthanded group on the blue line as it is.
William Lagesson and Simon Benoit were signed for depth roles, not to play every night. The Toronto Marlies aren’t exactly brimming with prospects on defence, though Max Lajoie probably would be in line to get the call if required.
Still, the Leafs can’t expect to be competitive with several defencemen who would not be playing under normal circumstances. The feeling has been that Treliving has to acquire a top-notch defenceman. Now, getting one who could take reps in the bottom four would be a benefit.
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START, SCHMART
The Leafs were looking forward to playing their first home game since Nov. 11, when they beat the Vancouver Canucks.
From the way they started, the Leafs played like they wanted to be anywhere else but in their relatively quiet home building.
A goal by Florida’s Kevin Stenlund came after Ryan Lomberg sent Nylander flying in the corner in the Leafs’ end in a battle for the puck. The Leafs didn’t recover and watched as Stenlund beat Woll.
Keep in mind the Panthers played the night before in Ottawa, where they defeated the Senators 5-0. The first was especially ugly for a number of Leafs, especially Matthews and Rielly.
At five-on-five, the Panthers had 20 shot attempts when Rielly was on the ice, and none against. With Matthews on the ice, it was 15 for, none against.
Rielly rebounded as the game progressed and made several fine defensive plays in the third period.
The Chicago Blackhawks said veteran winger Corey Perry engaged in unacceptable conduct and took a step Tuesday toward terminating his contract.
The Blackhawks in a statement said an internal investigation showed Perry acted in violation of his NHL Standard Player Contract and their club policies "intended to promote professional and safe work environments." Chicago put Perry on unconditional waivers and said his deal will be terminated as long as he clears.
The team has not given any indication as to what Perry did to warrant being sent home last week without explanation. General manager Kyle Davidson on Saturday said Perry would be away from the Blackhawks for the foreseeable future.
Agent Pat Morris did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the Blackhawks' intent to terminate Perry's contract. Over the weekend, he said in a statement that Perry had stepped away to attend to personal matters.
Perry, 38, signed a $2 million contract with Chicago for this season with $2 million in potential incentives. An 18-year veteran known for his leadership, the Peterborough, Ontario, native won the Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007 and became the first player in league history to reach the final three consecutive years and lose each time with Dallas, Montreal and Tampa Bay from 2020-22.
The lone Canadian entry in Major League Rugby has failed to find a new owner and will cease operations immediately, the league confirmed.
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Rugby New York makes a tackle in the second half against the Toronto Arrows at Memorial Field on February 26, 2023 in New York. The Arrows' ownership have battled through the pandemic and kept the doors open, but at great expense.Photo by Dustin Satloff /Getty Images for Rugby New York
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The news is rarely good in Canadian rugby these days, but this one still comes as a shock: the Toronto Arrows, the only professional rugby squad in Canada, is folding.
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Late Monday afternoon, Major League Rugby confirmed what sources had been telling Postmedia since the morning: the Arrows would cease operations immediately
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The league said it and the Arrows “explored all avenues in an effort to maintain the club’s presence in the league. Unfortunately, after exhausting all options, Toronto was left with no choice but to voluntarily withdraw from the league.”
Arrows GM Tim Matthews told Postmedia via text message he was focused on helping his players, staff and the team’s former ownership.
“My focus right now is solely on doing right by our players, staff and the Webb family – won’t be providing further comments until those fronts are covered,” he said.
“Appreciate anything you can do to inform folks that that is where the focus is at this point in time.”
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The Arrows had played in the U.S.-based Major League Rugby since 2019. They played as an independent team in 2018.
The team finished last in the 12-team league at 1-13-2 after an injury-plagued 2023 season.
The team, which was originally built out of the Ontario Blues provincial program, had been bankrolled by Toronto financier Bill Webb. Webb died at 59 this summer and it’s understood team management had been searching for new investment ever since.
Webb’s passing proved too much to overcome, Matthews said.
Losing the Arrows is a big blow to Rugby Canada, as a solid number of men’s national team players have played for the Arrows — five starters for Canada in their recent match versus Brazil were Arrows players — or have come through their academy.
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Players were informed of the decision to wind up the franchise in a call with the team Monday.
They were told “funding was not there this year. Some things fell through and they’re not going to be able to go ahead with the 2024 season,” a source who was on the call told the Canadian Press and granted anonymity because the decision had not been announced officially.
All contracts in Major League Rugby are held centrally by the league. Teams have folded in MLR before, with players assigned to new teams via a dispersal draft.
MLR CEO Nic Benson indicated a similar process would unfold with the Arrows players.
“While this news is unfortunate, and we feel for all individuals associated with the Arrows organization, the health of MLR remains strong and we look forward to exploring options to bring a team back to Canada in the future,” he said.
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One supposes a new operator for a Toronto team might emerge, though given the difficulty Arrows management apparently have had in finding a new investor since Webb’s passing this seems unlikely.
No schedule for the 2024 MLR season had yet been announced, though the league has traditionally kicked off in mid-February. In August MLR officials announced the team that had been based in Atlanta would be relocating to Los Angeles, but no further details on that move have been revealed.
The league, which had seven teams in its inaugural 2018 season, operated with 12 teams in 2023 with the expansion Miami Sharks slated to join the fold next season.
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving met with reporters after Monday’s practice to address several topics, including the pursuit of a new defenseman following John Klingberg’s move to long-term injured reserve with a hip injury.
This change was a direct response to Marner’s middling play over the weekend. Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe offered a candid critique of Marner’s game prior to Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“Just not executing at the level that you’d expect from Mitch,” Keefe said of Marner's recent performance on Saturday afternoon via The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel. “Mitch hasn’t found his groove yet.”
Marner offered a poor response Saturday. He was caught way too far up the ice on Jake Guentzel’s goal, which tied the game 28 seconds after the Maple Leafs opened the scoring. He lost the puck during a power play which almost led to a Penguins short-handed goal.
Marner’s defensive impact has also waned. Although he was a Selke finalist last year, the 26-year-old currently ranks 272nd out of 431 eligible players (200 minutes or greater played at 5-on-5) in expected goals against per 60 via Natural Stat Trick.
Matthews, for what it’s worth, ranks 268th, although his 17 takeaways versus nine giveaways at 5-on-5 has been a plus on the defensive side.
“It's just been great reluctance on my part to make a change to the (John) Tavares group in particular, and with Willy in particular,” Keefe said of the changes Monday. “[Nylander has] found a nice groove, his game has been going so well that we were reluctant to make a change to him and his situation.”
In light of the move today, let's look at what has and hasn't worked with the Matthews-Marner combination, and why the lineup shuffle may be the best thing for all parties involved.
Performance of the first line and "core four"
Tyler Bertuzzi was initially placed on the Matthews-Marner line to start the season. Matthews went ballistic during the opening week with consecutive hat tricks and Marner registered three assists in two games, but Bertuzzi struggled to generate any real chemistry with Toronto's top line.
Bertuzzi caught fire alongside Tavares and Nylander and that line is Toronto’s most commonly-used unit, with a plus-4 goal differential while hovering just below a 60% share of the expected goals.
Matthews and Marner have been paired together in three of Toronto’s most commonly used groups at 5-on-5. Here’s how it’s worked out so far:
LINE COMBINATION
TIME ON ICE
GOALS FOR
GOALS AGAINST
EXPECTED GOALS FOR %
Knies-Matthews-Marner
94:10
6
6
50.57
Jarnkrok-Matthews-Marner
65:01
4
2
39.64
Bertuzzi-Matthews-Marner
49:27
2
2
63.12
These aren’t particularly bad results in a vacuum for Toronto’s second-, third- and fifth-most used forward combos — but hockey isn’t played in a vacuum. If Matthews and Marner are essentially playing to a draw when paired with Knies, there’s a desperate need for change.
Nylander-Matthews and Tavares-Marner have been used together before throughout their shared tenures, so it’s not an unfamiliar concept for Keefe to deploy and it’s not too late to start experimenting again, with a cabal of new linemates surrounding the core four.
Here’s how these duos fared in 2022-23:
LINE COMBINATION
TIME ON ICE
GOALS FOR
GOALS AGAINST
EXPECTED GOALS FOR %
Bunting-Matthews-Nylander
372:45
28
10
55.88
Jarnkrok-Tavares-Marner
174:25
9
8
53.95
Bunting-Tavares-Marner
74:07
4
0
55.56
Bertuzzi isn’t the exact same player as Michael Bunting, but he replicates many similar qualities so we’re tossing nuance aside for a second and using Bertuzzi as the Bunting stand-in this season. Matthews and Nylander have built some incredible chemistry together over the years. Both players are excellent at creating chances independent of their linemates in large part due to their terrific releases which they can get off nearly anywhere inside the offensive third.
Tavares’ improved skating and overall cerebral qualities bode well with Marner’s all-world playmaking. They need just a glance at each other to get open and unlock the optimized versions of each other’s games. This could work. And there’s enough data to support that this may be the idealized version of Toronto’s forward corps.
It is worth noting that Nylander has taken another step this year, becoming a more willing and complete shooter. He’s winning puck battles aggressively and he’s shown terrific defensive attention to detail that has often led to instant offense — which hasn’t always been true in the past.
What has worked with the Matthews-Marner-Knies combination
OK, so the sky isn’t falling for Matthews and Marner, both of whom have shown individual flashes of brilliance. Matthews started the year on fire, while Marner registered back-to-back four-point performances during the first week of November against the Sabres and Lightning, respectively.
Marner leads the Maple Leafs with 13 points at 5-on-5, while Matthews ranks second with 12. In a vacuum, again, this would be fine, but we’re talking about two extraordinary players, one of whom is a former MVP, the other one coming off a tour-de-force 99-point season imbued with all-around excellence.
Although the production hasn’t been there lately, Meghan Chayka of Stathletes researched that Marner-Matthews are among the league’s elite one-two combinations.
Yahoo Sports Canada's Nick Ashbourne highlighted Marner’s long-range passing and it’s still true that No. 16 is seeking instant offense through stretch passes. It’s been a catch-22 of sorts for Marner: he’s been at his best when seeking instant offense through long-range bombs as displayed below, or lateral passes off the rush to a cutting Matthews or Knies.
Maple Leafs plays that stood out Sweden edition 🇸🇪:
1. Mitch Marner is good for a spectacular pass or two in any two-game span.
This stretch pass to Matthews is special. It happens so quickly thanks to an instant decision and the velocity on the feed. pic.twitter.com/Y9Ij0hPuXX
Unfortunately, this same quality has worked against Marner as well: he’s often looking for the spectacular play or an audacious cut through several defenders, when a simple pass to extend possession would do just fine.
This pass from Marner to Matthew Knies against the Wild on Nov. 19 — Marner’s last game with a point — is a defining example of what Marner has done well this year.
Knies scores in the below clip during a Nov. 6 game against the Lightning and it’s the result of a concerted three-man effort where Knies and Matthews win a puck battle together, Matthews gets the puck back to Marner, who throws it at the net and Matthews cleans it up.
Good things happen when you simplify the game and Marner’s been at his best when he does the small things well.
Marner and Matthews still thrive with their two-man game in small spaces, particularly when Marner is on the half-wall and Matthews can use his frame to either cut to the slot, or work behind the net to extend possessions.
What hasn’t worked with the Matthews-Marner combination
Matthews and Marner aren’t getting the best out of each other anymore — which could change in an instant given their chemistry, pedigree and continuity and off-ice brotherhood — but the fault primarily lies with Marner, who sports a minus-1 goal differential at 5-on-5, while Matthews is merely a plus-1 despite being firmly in the Rocket Richard race.
And not to put too fine a point on this part, but Knies’ best results have often come as a result of his two-man game with Calle Jarnkrok, along with a third-period flash of brilliance with Max Domi during a 4-3 win against the Lightning on Oct. 21.
The Maple Leafs are hoping a demotion to the second line will help spark Mitch Marner's production. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
It’s also worth noting that Marner has been a staple of the team’s top penalty kill and the Maple Leafs rank 18th with a 77.8% success rate. Of course, this is a group project of sorts attached to Marner, David Kampf and several rotating defensemen but it’s been a sharp decline from the former's Selke-caliber season a year ago. There was an initial idea that placing the Maple Leafs’ best forwards on the penalty kill would be an avenue for surplus minutes and after initially strong returns, this idea largely hasn’t worked.
We’ve already discussed how Marner is often looking for the audacious play rather than the simple one. There’s been a razor-thin margin of error but Marner hasn’t found Matthews in optimal shooting lanes after the first week of November and it’s time for an adjustment. We’re only a quarter of the way through the season and Keefe should tinker with his lines until the Maple Leafs strike gold.
Treliving seeking out a trade for defensemen
In non-Matthews and Marner news, Treliving revealed that he will be pursuing another defensemen in light of John Klingberg’s hip injury. Klingberg and his $4.15 million salary have been placed into the team’s long-term injured reserve pool.
“It's certainly an area we'd like to help ourselves,” Treliving said on Monday. “When you're sitting here in November, that's easier said than done. But that's certainly an area that we look at and see if there's a way that we can help ourselves.”
Toronto currently has $4.65 million in cap space via CapFriendly and can add three more professional contracts to its current pool. Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov has been floated as a potential trade target, given his past relationship with Treliving. Zadorov landed a huge-open ice hit on Tyler Bertuzzi on Nov. 10, then Zadorov’s agent, Dan Milstein, fueled rumours that his client wanted out of Calgary.
Another Flames defenseman, Chris Tanev, has also been linked to the Leafs as a potential target. Tanev grew up in Toronto and was a prototypical late bloomer but his strong relationship with then-Canucks executive Dave Gagner provided him with a chance at the NHL and he’s been one of the league’s best shot blockers for the past decade.
(Editor's note: All stats current entering Monday’s games)
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