Craig Berube Explains Bold Decision to Separate Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner

On Tuesday's practice, head coach Craig Berube decided to keep his line of Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and Bobby McMann together even with Auston Matthews back, due to their hot hand and the head coach's reluctance to split them up.

With Auston Matthews out of the lineup, the Toronto Maple Leafs have not only been historically good, but they've kept it going this year, going 7-1-0 over their last eight, and now sitting atop the Atlantic Division.

Mitch Marner has been on a tear with 7 multi-point games with Matthews out and has been a part of a fantastic trio with John Tavares and Bobby McMann; two players reaping the benefits of Marner's hot stretch.

Marner needs to be the chance to help lead his own line.

As much as Tavares is the center, Marner is the catalyst of the offense and it's not hard to see why.

So far this season Marner has 28 points in 21 games (8G, 20A) and is showing no signs of distraction whatsoever. Without Matthews, he's had 14 points and is doing a lot more shooting as opposed to passing off the puck as he typically would.

Tavares and McMann have benefitted massively as well; Tavares has 20 points (9G, 11A) meanwhile McMann has started to really pick things up recently with three goals in his last five games.

Matthews, on the other hand, has been off to a slower-than-usual start, and only had five goals and 11 points before landing on the IR, off to the worst start of his career, and not showing the same lightning quick release as in previous years.

In closing, the Toronto Maple Leafs need to keep Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner separate, not because they can't play well together, but because they play even better when given their own individual responsibilities and it's led to a lot of success for everyone.