Maple Leafs second line LW spot is almost as interesting a competition as the 1RW job

The talk of Maple Leafs training camp will be who grabs the spot vacated by Mitch Marner on the Matthews’ line. Craig Berube has already pointed to Matias Maccelli and Max Domi having the inside track in that regard and with Max Domi out, Maccelli will likely get the first look.

By Berube pointing to Maccelli and Domi being prioritized for that look he also dropped an easter egg that William Nylander is likely to stay beside John Tavares on the second line for now. Given the resurgence of Tavares and a career year for Nylander that does seem like a bit of a no brainer but it also means that there is another spot worth fighting for in the top six and that’s the second line left wing.

On the surface this looks like a potential consolation prize for either Max Domi or Matias Maccelli and whoever doesn’t fit on Auston’s line will join a line that would be the top unit on most teams in the league. Given Domi’s underwhelming track record with Tavares and Nylander, I’m not sure it’s as straight forward as handing one of them that spot.

Tavares and Nylander both come with some defensive shortcomings and unless Max Domi had a history with them that would warrant overlooking that, it seems like he’d be an easy pass.

Maccelli, on the other hand, might get a look. Both Nylander and Tavares can use a playmaker, and while Maccelli isn’t going to improve the line much defensively, he’s less of a risk than Domi and the Maple Leafs are now in a situation where they can likely trust their other three lines for two way play enough that they can specifically put the Tavares line over the boards for offensive zone starts.

Maccelli is far from the only option and I’d go as far as to say that Laughton, Roy, Joshua, McMann, Robertson, Cowan, and Jarnkrok will all make their cases for a second line role depending on what Craig Berube is looking for.

The day one line rushes saw McMann working with the Leafs second line, although Berube had Vinny Lettieri take some reps there as well which certainly proves that this spot is up for grabs.

With Roy, Joshua, and Cowan also in that second practice group, it’s possible Berube takes a look at someone else in that spot or even swaps out for someone from the first practice group.

Some of the answer comes from history.

Recent history shows that Max Pacioretty and Pontus Holmberg were Craig Berube’s go to options during the playoffs for the Tavares line. Max Pacioretty’s grittier style of play, battling in the corners and bringing a veteran presence might bode well for players likes Scott Laughton and Dakota Joshua as potential options, while Nicolas Roy and Calle Jarnkrok bring the element of defensive responsibility, as does Laughton for that matter. Using Laughton or Roy alongside Tavares cuts into the Leafs centre depth, but with David Kampf not being out the door yet, excluding the possibility of the Leafs trying this seems premature.

The regular season was much more of a revolving door of options as the injuries to Matthews bumped Tavares up the depth chart and injuries to Pacioretty and Jarnkrok prevented them from seeing as much time with Tavares as potentially planned. Still, Pacioretty was the most frequent third forward on the Tavares and Nylander line and again points to what Berube could be looking for beside them permanently. The regular season 5v5 ice time also shows that saw the fourth highest time on ice with Tavares amongst Leafs forwards behind Nylander, Marner and Pacioretty. This could in fact be his spot to lose based on that although Calle Jarnkrok also got a significant look with Tavares in the limited time he played last season.

Of the players still on the Leafs roster, McMann and Jarnkrok are second and third behind William Nylander for time spent playing 5v5 with John Tavares, their underlying numbers support both of them being reasonable options for that role too. The fourth highest forward on that list is Nick Robertson and while the numbers he’s put up with Tavares aren’t as strong as McMann or Jarnkrok’s, he was certainly at a different spot on his development curve and there is something to be said for giving him a spot in the top six. The catch there might be that there are a lot of shooters on that line and Robertson might be the only worse defensive option than Max Domi.

Robertson might be an interesting option if the intention is to split up Matthews, Nylander, and Tavares and give them all their own lines. If that is the case, you can make a strong argument for Robertson joining Tavares assuming the third forward in that scenario has some defensive awareness.

The wild card in all of this might be Easton Cowan.

Cowan should be put in a place to be successful on the Maple Leafs and that would mean giving him a role on either the second or third line. Fourth line minutes for a top prospect likely means his time is best spent on the Marlies. If the intention for Craig Berube is to see what happens with Matias Maccelli on the Matthews line first, and with Max Domi being absent for at least the start of training camp, there seems like a golden opportunity to put Easton Cowan next to John Tavares and William Nylander.

All of this will be playing out in real time shortly and speculating on who goes where will be resolved in time.

Craig Berube’s opening remarks during his media availability highlighted the number of new faces and the importance of finding chemistry with linemates and while the Maple Leafs might have some strong pairings and firm leanings about what they want to try with their new players, things are going to move around a lot in camp and then potentially move around again once the realization that the regular season is completely different sets in.

While the competition for the spot next to Auston Matthews seems like a two horse race, the field for Tavares’ open wing spot seems to be wide open.