Marner's lack of chemistry with McDavid lands him a demotion

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Mitch Marner's lack of chemistry with Connor McDavid lands him a demotion for Canada

Originally posted on Maple Leafs Daily | By Nick Matthews | Last updated Feb 16, 2025 6:30 PM ET

Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner has dropped down Team Canada's depth chart after a lack of chemistry with linemate Connor McDavid, and now finds himself with a new center.

Team Canada suffered a heartbreaking 3-1 loss to Team USA in a heated matchup between the rival nations on Saturday, and the loss may have some repercussions for Leafs star Mitch Marner.

The game was filled with grit and determination, evident right from the first nine seconds, where not one, not two, but three fights broke out in succession.

However, looking deeper into Team Canada's loss, the primary issue was clearly a lack of offensive production. One notable line change during the game was the breakup of the former first line, which had featured Marner and Reinhart on either side of McDavid.

The demotion of Marner and Reinhart occurred in the third period, but the implications could extend throughout the remainder of the tournament.

As Mark Masters shared on X:

While being moved from the first line to the second is certainly unfortunate, switching centers from McDavid to Nathan MacKinnon isn't exactly a downgrade. While McDavid may be the best player in the world, MacKinnon is not far behind, and could be the second best in the league.

MacKinnon is currently leading the NHL in scoring with 87 points in 57 games.

Marner is also having an outstanding season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He's currently leading the team in scoring with 71 points in 54 games, which places him fourth in the NHL this season, tied with McDavid.

Demotion or not, Marner has played well throughout this tournament, even scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against Sweden. Team Canada will need a bounce-back performance against Finland on Monday if they want to have any chance of winning the 4 Nations Face-Off.

This article first appeared on Maple Leafs Daily and was syndicated with permission.

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