Craig Berube Makes Key Lineup Announcement on Morgan Rielly and Nick Robertson
Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube announced two key lineup changes ahead of Friday's game against Buffalo involving Morgan Rielly and Nick Robertson.
As the Maple Leafs face off against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night, they are going to need to come out swinging because two lacklustre efforts and two straight losses is making what was once an exciting season, only more miserable.
Already dealing with several injuries, the lineup is getting a brand new makeover and with Craig Berube incensed at the lack of production from his top line, out goes Matthew Knies and in comes William Nylander and Bobby McMann.
Morgan Rielly Ruled Out as Maple Leafs Adjust Lineup for Buffalo Game
That wasn't the only change though, and while the entire lineup looks different, there is one key absence who won't be skating, while another absence isn't all that surprising.
Defenseman Morgan Rielly, who missed practice yesterday, is going to be out dealing with an unspecified injury and his status for Saturday's game is also questionable and a wait and see approach.
Rielly has been much better offensively to start the year with six points in seven games (2 goals, 4 assists) however his defense has been what we expect, and Brandon Carlo's innefectivenes has not helped any.
Nick Robertson's Scratch Raises More Questions About the Leafs' Forward Depth
Nick Robertson also was scratched in a much needed move, and with his one assist through seven games; it's coming to the end of the line for him. There are talks about another potential trade, and this time that smoke might have a lot more fire behind it.
There have been discussions recently that Toronto has done with Robertson and are looking to potentially deal him in a one-for-one with Yegor Chinakhov, who also needs a fresh start, and his healthy scratch only lends credence to that rumor.
One positive coming out of this entire situation is that rookie Easton Cowan earns a spot in the lineup again and gets a chance to make a real impact for his team; one that is struggling to get anything going to start the season.
Hopefully he can provide a spark, considering that the majority of the lineup hasn't done much and if fans had to choose between seeing Cowan or Robertson, the rookie is winning out 9/10 times.
With all eyes on the Toronto Blue Jays as they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first game of the 2025 World Series, there are also going to be a lot of eyes on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But unlike the excited and passionate eyes of the Blue Jays faithful, all eyes on the Maple Leafs is going to be like staring at a car crash we can't look away from.
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