MLHS’ Anthony Petrielli joined Sportsnet 590’s The Fan Morning Show to discuss fan perception around Mitch Marner, Craig Berube’s approach to his forward group, and Alex Nylander’s odds of making the NHL team.
On whether a great start by Mitch Marner could win some fans back over in the city:
No, I don’t think it would. I don’t think there is anything he could do before Christmas to win anyone back.
If he gets off to a slow start, I think everyone has a rough idea of how much money he wants and what the low end of the barometer would be given his salary at the moment. Any sort of slow start or slump of note would probably draw a lot of, “This is how you are playing, and you want this much money coming up?” But he is also capable of having an unbelievable season where he doesn’t have any sort of rut of note.
The thing that I would look out for and am very curious about on my end: Does Craig Berube come out and load up the lines as we have known them to be? Do Matthews and Marner play together? Is Matthew Knies on the other side? Are Tavares and Nylander back together, and then it is an open competition for the last left-wing spot — probably Bobby McMann, which would re-unite the Domi – Jarnkrok and the Kampf-Dewar fourth line.
There is not much creativity in that, but it is still a very good team. They have improved the defense. They have talent in net. It’s not disregarding it if Marner does start hot, but everyone has sort of seen that movie before about a million times.
On the idea of Craig Berube spreading out the big four to start his coaching tenure:
That is what I would do. I would try to test them out and separate them. If he doesn’t and they get off to a slow start, people are going to aloof to it. “Here we go again.” It’s the exact same thing with a different guy behind the bench, but it is the same look and feel.
I would personally be more interested in whether a guy such as Marner can drive a line with Max Domi at center for 40 games. We saw Matthews play without either of Marner or Nylander. It did not impact his game whatsoever. If anything, I thought he looked a little bit better. He went and got the puck more. He was a little bit more aggressive on the forecheck. He created a little bit more of his own offense and facilitated teammates. Can he do that again for 40 games, and what does that look like?
As much as we talk about the attention on Marner and his production, part of it will be about what situations they are put in. Is it more that it’s fresh and new where we are seeing some newer things, even though it is the same forward group minus Tyler Bertuzzi? Or is it back to the same old lines?
If they do the latter, they better be amazing. They better be challenging to win the division from day one through the whole season.
On Alex Nylander’s odds of making the Leafs:
Part of it depends on what happens with Nick Robertson. If Robertson is signed, they have 13 forwards. I think it would be hard for Nylander to beat out any of the 13 forwards on the team. Honestly, it is a nice mix if Robertson rounds out the group. It would be a difficult team for anyone to make — Easton Cowan included. He would have to be very, very good for the Leafs to put any of those guys on the trade block, similar to what they did with Sam Lafferty at the last training camp.
Now, if Robertson doesn’t sign or they move him, at that point, who is Nylander competing against? Alex Steeves, another RFA who has to be signed, and Easton Cowan, who has a really legitimate case to make the team. There isn’t much for him to do back in the OHL. He thoroughly dominated that league to a level where you would say he is ready for a promotion. At a minimum, he is probably at least pushing for the nine-game start to the season.
It is not too big of a deal if you don’t start the season with the team. Bobby McMann didn’t. Simon Benoit got sent down on waivers and played for the Marlies. He would have to go down, put a good month in, and depending on whatever is happening with the Leafs, potentially look at an NHL deal.
What is interesting about him is that he can score and shoot. He can shoot from distance, which is a big deal. There are not a ton of guys who can go down from the top of the circle, get a look at an NHL goalie, and score. There are a ton of guys who can’t throughout the league, and he is a guy who can. He has a great shot.
I look at him and a bunch of the Leafs‘ forward mix, and I wonder, “Who would go get the puck on that line? Who would be the guy on the forecheck?”
Michael Bunting was in a very similar situation. He was also 26 when the Leafs signed him. He had 13 points in 21 games. Nylander had 15 in 23. There is a little bit of a different pedigree in terms of Nylander was an eighth overall pick and Bunting was a later-round pick, but the difference stylistically is that Bunting forechecked, went to the net, and was kind of the first guy to get the puck or do a little bit more of the unsexy things. That is not really what Alex Nylander does.
From a skill standpoint, he fits. But what would his role with the good players be? That part I start to wonder about. If he plays with his brother, who is going to forecheck?
On the pattern of Brad Treliving pursuing distressed assets and older veterans:
He is obviously trying to find advantages, and this part of them keeping all of the top guys and not moving money around. At that point, you have to push Chris Tanev’s salary down by giving him six years.
Even Oliver Ekman-Larsson gets four years. I was looking back at some of the original reporting, and some of the contracts thrown out were more in the $4 million, three-year range. The Leafs ended up going $3.5 million over four years. They are shaving the AAV as much as they can, and part of it is that they’ve kept four guys making $46+ million. You have to try to find savings.
He has really brought in older players to date. Whether Jani Hakanpaa signs or not, they haven’t signed anyone under the age of 31 this summer. They brought in older UFAs.
It has generally shaded older, veteran, and more experienced. With that, there is some mileage and wear and tear. They have been pretty liberal when it comes to whether a guy is injured or not, with a “we’ll deal with it later” kind of thing. Honestly, it can get you in trouble eventually.
