Craig Berube scratches Robertson and Stecher vs. Flyers as Maple Leafs shuffle lineup
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Craig Berube made two surprising scratches on Monday ahead of Toronto's game vs. the Flyers with both Nick Robertson and Troy Stecher getting the night off.
With the Maple Leafs expected to be sellers at the deadline, their first task is getting back in the win column against the Flyers on Monday night, however will have a much different lineup.
Craig Berube makes two surprising scratches ahead of Flyers game
Per head coach Craig Berube, both Nick Robertson and Troy Stecher will be sitting for the game on Monday, as he notes both men need a bit of a reset after some struggles:
I've felt (Robertson's) game has dropped off, even before the break a little bit & through the break here, so he's going to get a reset today ... Similar for Stecher.
Berube is also expecting a much better response from the last three games, and tried to reassure fans things will look and be different this time:
It's going to be a better response, for sure. I expect a lot better tonight from our team.
To be fair to Berube, he has a point. Both men have been struggling to both score and play defensively sound, so with the team needing to make some type of change, it was down to those two for now:
McMann - Matthews - Nylander
Knies - Tavares - Domi
Maccelli - Roy - Joshua
Lorentz - Laughton - Cowan
Knies - Tavares - Domi
Maccelli - Roy - Joshua
Lorentz - Laughton - Cowan
Rielly - Carlo
Benoit - McCabe
Ekman-Larsson - Myers
Benoit - McCabe
Ekman-Larsson - Myers
Stolarz
Robertson has 26 points in 57 games this season (12 goals, 14 assists) and was on pace to smash his career highs, but his slump has caused a bit of a roadblock.
Stecher on the other hand has cooled off considerably since coming over as a waiver claim, and has 11 points in 41 games for the Maple Leafs this season.
It's a decision that may not go over well with fans considering that it feels like Stecher and Robertson are the only two on the ice at times with how hard they've been playing but with a serious shakeup on the horizon, things are much different.
You'll also notice that William Nylander is alongside Auston Matthews, a move that Berube is hoping will spark the lineup right off the bat:
They're arguably our two best players. Go out and control the game and do what you guys do best. We need some offence for sure from those guys, but they have to be responsible defensively too.
If Toronto lose again for their fourth straight and look even more lifeless heading into the deadline, then there's no way they can't sell on March 6th. That would pretty much necessitate both men coming back into the lineup however who knows if they are also part of the potential deadline plans.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 2|591 ANSWERS Craig Berube scratches Robertson and Stecher vs. Flyers as Maple Leafs shuffle lineup Did Craig Berube make a mistake with his lineup vs. the Flyers? | ||
| Yes | 407 | 68.9 % |
| No | 184 | 31.1 % |
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