Mitch Marner returning for Maple Leafs, but not on line with Auston Matthews.
Mitch Marner will return to the Maple Leafs lineup on Saturday night.
And when he takes his first shift against the Canadiens at the Bell Centre in Montreal, he won’t be back on the top line with centre Auston Matthews.
Marner also has a history of playing with captain John Tavares, of course, and that’s how Marner will line up in his first game since March 7, when he suffered a high ankle sprain in a road game versus the Boston Bruins.
“You take pride in playing every game and trying to play in every game,” Marner said on Friday after the Leafs practised at the Ford Performance Centre. “When you are out it does suck and you want to try to get back in as quick as you can. But through this time, I think that’s how I tried to look at it, as using it as a benefit and try to make it work going forward.
“I don’t think it really matters who you are playing with in this group (of Leafs forwards). We have guys that have a lot of versatility, skill, can make plays.”
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe has liked the meshing that has happened with the line of Matthews between Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi, and for now, doesn’t see fit in breaking up that trio.
There was another factor at play in Keefe’s decision to not automatically reunite Matthews and Marner.
“The last stretch of games, going back to the Edmonton game (a 6-3 win against the Oilers on March 23), I’ve used John primarily as the top defensive matchup,” Keefe said. “I’ll continue with that. Mitch’s presence on that line enhances my ability to do that.
“It frees Auston up a little bit more for his line, but when you’re doing something like this, you have an eye toward what it maybe could look like in the playoffs.
