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Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs Quick Hits: Giordano, Marner & Aston-Reese

The Toronto Maple Leafs are putting their team together for the regular season. What different things are they trying?

In this edition of Toronto Maple Leafs Quick Hits, I’ll suggest why I believe not putting Mark Giordano with TJ Brodie for the regular season is a better idea than playing the twosome together. Second, I’ll look at the Maple Leafs’ recent trial of playing forwards on the blue line and wonder what they might mean for Mitch Marner. Finally, I’ll look at Zach Aston-Reese’s chances to make the roster out of training camp – they are pretty good.

Related: 3 Maple Leafs’ Prospects Making Cases for Opening Night Roster

Quick Hit One: Why Mark Giordano Shouldn’t Play with TJ Brodie

I can’t imagine that Maple Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe will leave Mark Giordano together with TJ Brodie when the regular season begins. That said, I can see one reason for doing so. That’s because the pairing is made up of players who are quality defensemen and have experience playing together. They would be great.

That said, given the team’s defensive makeup now that Rasmus Sandin has signed, I’d sure love to see the duo split up. Given how well they played together all of the past two seasons, I’d probably put Brodie with Morgan Rielly and just cement that relationship.

Mark Giordano Maple Leafs
Mark Giordano Maple Leafs

Giordano’s the player that I’m interested in. I believe he adds value to the defense by making anyone he plays with better. If I’m right, why not use him in that role with the team’s emerging defensemen?

Brodie is good for Rielly because he allows good offensive players to become great offensive players. He’s so steady, plays an unshakeable game, and covers for his partner.  

Giordano Praises Brodie

In speaking about his former partner when they were both with the Calgary Flames, Giordano praised Brodie for what he’s become since moving to Toronto. Specifically, Giordano noted that “I think (Brodie), right from Calgary, established himself a top shutdown guy in the league, and coming to Toronto even moreso.” (from “Sandin’s return, Giordano’s role, injury after injury. The Leafs still have a lot to figure out on defence, Mark Zwolinski, Toronto Star, 01/10/2022).

Giordano added that he believes Brodie has “taken his own identity here … so I’d love to play with him. But I think the coaches, what they’re trying to do is try out different combos because already in camp you’ve seen what can happen with injuries.”

Giordano Can Help the Younger Defensemen

That, to me, is where Giordano can have an impact on this Maple Leafs’ team for years to come. He can mentor and teach the youngsters how to play well; in the meantime, work with them on the ice during games in ways that would enable their success and build their confidence.

Related: MAPLE LEAFS 6-3 WIN OVER THE SENS, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Quick Hit Two: Forwards as Defensemen, Will It Become a Pattern?

During last week’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, coach Keefe used two forwards (Alex Kerfoot and Calle Järnkrok) as defensemen. Later in the week, there was word that Keefe had been playing forward Mitch Marner on defense (he’s a right-handed shot by the way) and had given him shifts with Rielly. 

As Maple Leafs’ fans know, Marner was named the NHL’s first-team all-star winger two seasons in a row. Given his value on offense, could he really be utilized on defense? The thinking seemed to be that, as Keefe noted, there are a lot of times on the ice during a game that Marner actually defends. And he’s good at it.

Sometimes Marner Could Play Defense When the Team Needs a Goal

According to Keefe, there might be instances during games when the team needs a score. So, in those instances, why not put Marner – who Rielly laughingly called an “offensive defenseman” – some time on the blue line? Apparently, Marner is good with the experiment.

Mitch Marner, Maple Leafs (Upper Deck 2020-21 Upper Deck Synergy – Purple Autograph Card)

We’ll see how that goes during the regular season. However, it’s out-of-the-box thinking. I’d be curious to see how it would work. Why not?

Quick Hit Three: Zach Aston-Reese Is Found Money

Zach Aston-Reese plays with some “hurt” to his game. He hits – hard. Given how he’s fared during the preseason games, it would seem a no-brainer for him to become part of the team’s third line. That line would include Aston-Reece, David Kämpf, and Nicolas Aubé-Kubel.

During the team’s fourth preseason game against the Ottawa Senators, that line was about the only experienced group that suited up for the Maple Leafs. They seemed to render the Senators’ top line ineffective. 

Even with a Young Lineup, the Maple Leafs Dominated

Who would have thought that a team made up basically of youngsters and this third line would have been able to beat a more experienced Senators’ team by a score of 6-3? Bet on Aston-Reese, Kampf, and Aube-Kubel sticking together at least to start the beginning of the season.

The Maple Leafs‘ shutdown line looked really strong in this game. It’s a line that Keefe can trust because it’s physical, responsible, and plays with an attitude. It is going to be a fun line for Maple Leafs’ fans to watch throughout the season. They frustrated the Senators, and you can bet they’ll frustrate some other teams as well.

Related: Three Takeaways from Maple Leafs’ 6-3 Win Over Senators

9 Comments

9 Comments

  1. gcmgome

    October 2, 2022 at 10:18 am

    Agreed, a 4th line of Zach Aston-Reese, David Kampf, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel seems like a good idea but the question of Aston-Reese’s contract still remains. Assuming he is even signed, will it be league minimum, or closer to the $1,725,000M he earned last season?
    My guess is closer to league minimum.
    With the 1st line set, how the 2nd and 3rd lines shake out seems to be a matter of who is healthy by opening night. I can envision Nick Robertson and Denis Malgin playing the wings on one of those lines.
    Where Robertson’s waiver exempt status seemed to be working against him at the beginning of camp, when he was competing with so many waiver eligible, NHL experienced players ….now it seems the table has turned. The ability of the Leafs to re-assign him to the Marlies without loss to the waiver wire, makes him the perfect temporary placeholder for an injured roster player.

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  9. Old Prof

    October 3, 2022 at 9:01 am

    Thanks for the addition – that’s a good question – I agree it would seem to be closer to NHL league minimum –

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