Maple Leafs Should Try Matthews & Nylander On the Penalty Kill

Having Gretzky on the ice added another dimension to the penalty kill. Now the players on the opposing power play had to be aware that any mistake, any bobble, and the puck could just as easily end up in their own net. 

Over the Years Offensive-Minded Players Have Thrived on the PK

Over the years since, there have been some offensively highly skilled players who have thrived on the penalty kill. The player that is second on the list of shorthanded goal scorers is none other than former Gretzky teammate, Mark Messier, with 63. Next are Steve Yzerman at 50, and Mario Lemieux at 49. 

The Boston Bruins’ Brad Marchand leads all active players with 33 short-handed goals. 

A search of top shorthanded scorers for the 2022-23 season on Naturalstattrick.com, interestingly enough, shows two of the top-three point scorers on the penalty kill are Elias Pettersson (four goals and eight points) and JT Miller (three goals and six points).  

The Maple Leafs Should Remember Those Two Canucks’ Names

Do those two names ring a bell for Maple Leafs’ fans?  

I’m sure it does for any of us that watched Pettersson and Miller both score (and assist on) two goals on the same penalty kill when the Maple Leafs lost to the Canucks in Vancouver on March 4.

Mitch Marner Has Become a Solid Penalty Killer for the Maple Leafs

Segueing back to the Maple Leafs, when the Maple Leafs first started using Mitch Marner on the penalty kill I was not thrilled with the idea at all. I felt that Marner’s minutes would be better utilized in areas of the game where he had better offensive opportunities. 

Specifically, these opportunities included the shift immediately after a successful penalty kill. My biggest worry was that he would be lost to injury from blocking shots. 

At first, I cringed when Marner was on the ice killing penalties. But, I eventually got past that feeling and gradually found myself looking forward to seeing Marner out there in shorthanded situations. I was excited over the thought of him getting his stick on an errant pass and then breaking up the ice. 

I’ve Now Come Full Circle about Penalty Killing

After I saw that one penalty where Petterson and Miller destroyed the Maple Leafs’ power play, I have finally come full circle. I now see the penalty kill the same way that I am sure Gretzky probably saw back in his heyday. It’s another opportunity to score. 

I want to see Auston Matthews and William Nylander join Marner on the penalty kill. I relish the thought of one of them breaking down the ice with Marner on a 2-on-1 instead of David Kampf or Alex Kerfoot. 

Matthews’ game fits well suited to the penalty kill. He’s grown into a solid 200-foot player who also happens to be the NHL’s top shot-blocking forward with 77.  While Nylander is not a shot-blocker and has had his defensive game questioned in the past, that part of his game is getting better and he does have the similar hand-eye coordination to Marner and is adept at knocking passes out of the air.  

If Nylander gets the puck going the other way, he’s the fastest Maple Leafs’ skater with the puck. It is not uncommon now to see Maple Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe toss Nylander on the ice for the occasional penalty kill. 

I’m Still Old School in One Way

I still want to see two defensively sound defensemen out there on the backend with the Maple Leafs shorthanded. Mark Giordano (123 blocked shots) and Justin Holl (113 blocked shots) would be my ideal pairing. 

I do have to admit that this old dog would not mind seeing the Maple Leafs create more offensive chances on the penalty kill.