Ahead of a crucial game against the Utah Mammoth, the Maple Leafs unveiled a very curious lineup that sees Gavin McKenna pushed down yet again.
Thankfully for the Toronto Maple Leafs, they ended up finishing their Western road trip on a high note, with a big win against the Vancouver Canucks. That set themselves up nicely for a clash versus the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday as they look to double dip in the win column.
They will be in tough though, as Utah is a team that can't be counted out on any night, and considering they already beat the Maple Leafs once this year - they're a dangerous team no doubt.
With that in mind, the Maple Leafs need to put out as much firepower as possible in order to get a head start on their opponents, keep the foot on the gas and not let up for any reason. If they have a lead, they can't sit back and hope they keep it - that plan has failed.
Maple Leafs make strange decision involving Gavin McKenna
Which is why it's bizarre that Jim Hiller not only put Dakota Joshua in the top-six, but he did so by demoting Gavin McKenna back to the third line:
Cowan - Matthews - Roslovic
Joshua - Paul - Nylander
McKenna - Sissons - Lettieri
Duhaime - Blueger - MacEwen
McCabe - Raddysh
Rielly - Tanev
OEL - Stecher
Bobrovsky
Stolarz
While the thinking behind Hiller's decision is to add more size and physicality to the second line and perhaps ease the defensive burden on William Nylander, you're entrusting Joshua in just his second game of the season to help support a top-six offense.
Nothing against the power forward, but he isn't exactly a bastion of offensive potential. The only real offensive driver on that line is Nylander, and while he can do a lot, he can't do it all.
The team really needs Paul to drive board battles and win loose pucks to have some hope of keeping the puck in the zone - same with Joshua.
McKenna's demotion is about both load management and performance
It's really tragic though that McKenna gets shifted down. He likely won't lose power-play time (where he's been most effective) but he doesn't get the chance to affect the offense nearly as much as he could up top.
He does have a tiny bit of chemistry with Vinni Lettieri as the two have looked comfortable together, but Lettieri hasn't been the offensive spark needed on the third line.
Perhaps it's that reason why McKenna was shifted down, trying to crate more balance. Maybe it's because McKenna is constantly beaten at 5v5. Either way, Dakota Joshua is a top-six forward on Tuesday night.
Let's just hope he performs like one.
Do you think Gavin McKenna deserves a demotion to the third line in favour of Dakota Joshua?
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