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Toronto Maple Leafs: Full line combination predictions for 2018-19

By Simon Vacca

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 16: Morgan Rielly #44 of the Toronto Maple Leafs stands with his teammates before warm-up ahead of Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Boston Bruins during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Air Canada Centre on April 16, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 16: Morgan Rielly #44 of the Toronto Maple Leafs stands with his teammates before warm-up ahead of Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Boston Bruins during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Air Canada Centre on April 16, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – FEBRUARY 22: Mitch Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against John Tavares #91 of the New York Islanders during the first period at the Air Canada Centre on February 22, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – FEBRUARY 22: Mitch Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against John Tavares #91 of the New York Islanders during the first period at the Air Canada Centre on February 22, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Forwards: Line Two

Zach Hyman-John Tavares-Mitch Marner

According to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun, one of the Maple Leafs’ major selling features to Tavares was that of the organization’s window for success, in that a lineup fronted by the likes of Matthews and Mitch Marner promises to be nothing short of devastating in the years to come.

Asked about the possibility of combining Marner with the team’s especially prominent acquisition, Babcock stated, “There is no question about it.” He continued, “I think Mitch’s skill set, John’s skill set … Mitch is so quick and the other side of that is that Nylander and Matthews play great together too.”

Despite the administrative staff’s overarching sense of hesitance to separate Hyman and Matthews from one another, Tavares’ entrance into the club’s top six has prompted the winds of change to be ushered forth in a rather smooth manner. Said Babcock, “When you go through it up front, we’re going to have lots of depth and lots of speed and we will find really good mixes for those guys.”

Of course, the mindset of the veteran coach is indeed subject to change. Babcock has demonstrated a tendency to either stubbornly stand by his deployment of players or experiment extensively with the structural dynamic of the club. Nevertheless, expect the combination of Hyman, Tavares and Marner to not only serve as one of the Maple Leafs’ most anticipated lines, but to also act as one of the most talked about units on a more general scale across the NHL.

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