"When a team undergoes an overhaul in the offseason and starts off their season poorly, the blame will always make its way to the team's offseason acquisitions at some point. Especially if you're a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are already under more pressure than most teams to begin with. Not that anybody was expecting Nicolas Roy, Dakota Joshua, and Matias Maccelli to seamlessly replace Mitch Marner's regular season production,"
"While Roy and Joshua emerged as potential linemates in preseason, they had a hard time finding the third piece to complete that line. Maccelli got some runway with them for a bit, but the line never really took off the way the team hoped in preseason. Pair that with Roy battling an injury that took him out of commission in November and Joshua's poor play resulting in a couple of scratches here and there, and it was a recipe for disaster for all parties involved."
"Ahead of the Maple Leafs' 7-2 blowout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, a win that could serve as a turning point of sorts if the Leafs can string some positive efforts together, head coach Craig Berube dropped McMann to the third line in hopes that his speed could complement Joshua and Roy. With McMann being the smallest of those three players, standing at 6-foot-2 and 217 pounds,"
An offseason overhaul and early-season struggles shifted scrutiny toward recent acquisitions as the team began the year under .500 and carried a slump into December. Nicolas Roy, Dakota Joshua, and Matias Maccelli failed to replicate the production of Mitch Marner, and preseason chemistry never fully developed. Roy suffered an injury in November, Joshua endured inconsistent play and scratches, and Bobby McMann went six games without a point. Head coach Craig Berube moved McMann onto the third line with Joshua and Roy to add speed and physicality. The heavier, faster trio produced a strong response, and all three scored in a 7-2 victory over Pittsburgh.
Read at TheLeafsNation
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