'This is why they got those specific guys': The emergence of the Maple Leafs' new line
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Maple Leafs analyst Jay Rosehill got his wish as the team's third line has started to showcase exactly why they were brought in this past summer.
A little while ago, Leafs Morning Take co-host and former Maple Leafs defenseman Jay Rosehill chastised the Maple Leafs' third line of Dakota Joshua, Nicolas Roy, and Bobby McMann for not playing heavy enough and calling them 'a bunch of warm bodies.'
Rosehill gave his thoughts on Nov. 29th, just hours before Toronto put together a dominant 7-2 win over Pittsburgh, ironically led by that third line who had five points, and got goals from each individual on that line.
How the McMann-Roy-Joshua line actually plays the game
Whatever he said must have echoed in the minds of that trio because they have been lights out since, with eight points over their last two games and showing exactly the type of group they can be; heavy, tough, and quietly offensively gifted.
Rosehill again spoke about the line on the most recent episode of Leafs Morning Take, though his attitude towards them was certainly more positive given their recent production and made sure to acknowledge their turnaround.
Rosehill stated:
This is what it was supposed to be. This is what they wanted. This is why they got those specific guys (minus Maccelli). It's crazy with all the jumbling of the lines that they did do at the beginning, we didn't actually see this line.
But it makes sense. You've got some responsibility and leadership [in Roy], you've got some heaviness, and a guy who should be mucking his feet and running and forechecking [in Joshua] and you've got some speed and a killer shot on that line [McMann].
All three should be mucking and moving their feet and dumping and chasing, working the boards more, work it against the wall; have a second guy come in and then overwhelm them.
This is what he [Berube] said when he said he wanted them to play with more 'snot.'
But it makes sense. You've got some responsibility and leadership [in Roy], you've got some heaviness, and a guy who should be mucking his feet and running and forechecking [in Joshua] and you've got some speed and a killer shot on that line [McMann].
All three should be mucking and moving their feet and dumping and chasing, working the boards more, work it against the wall; have a second guy come in and then overwhelm them.
This is what he [Berube] said when he said he wanted them to play with more 'snot.'
Those comments are Rosehill's opinion as an analyst and don't reflect the organization's official view.
We're already seeing that on the ice: Roy is taking tough defensive matchups and key draws, Joshua is leading the forecheck and finishing checks, and McMann is turning loose pucks into shots off the rush.
In a vacuum, this line plays the game perfectly when it comes to what Craig Berube wants. There's no finesse or flashiness, but instead pure heart, grit, and effort.
We've seen the fruits of that labor recently and no one has seemingly pulled themselves out of a slump more than McMann who has six points over his last three games (3 goals, 3 assists), a plus-6, a game-winning goal, and five hits; prior to that he went pointless in six straight.
This is the kind of third line the Maple Leafs kept losing to
We've seen the team get pushed around several times over the years, none more than against both Boston and Florida in their most recent playoff series'.
For as big a team that Toronto was in recent years, they failed to really utilize that to their advantage, and dictate the pace through physicality. Florida has players like Sam Bennett, AJ Greer, Eetu Luostarinen, and Cole Schwindt; all guys who are big, gritty, and willing to do whatever it takes to win.
Now the team has improved not only their size and strength on the third line, but added that much needed offensive punch; the team has legitimate impactful bottom-six players now in Roy and Joshua.
Toronto has tried their best to borrow what's worked for other teams like the Panthers in recent years, and that included getting bigger, heavier, and grittier.
While it took a little bit for them to actually see those results, if what we've seen is any sign, then the Maple Leafs may have an easier time come the postseason if they take on a big, tough team at some point.
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