And now the answers to your questions in our Maple Leafs mailbag …

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A big thank you to the readers who submitted questions to our first Maple Leafs mailbag. 

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We had a good response and if we didn’t get to your question, feel free to submit again. 

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We’ll plan to open the mailbag again in the next couple of weeks, prior to the playoffs.

Drop us a query at [email protected].

And now to the first batch of questions and answers … 

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Q: The line of Tyler Bertuzzi, Auston Matthews and Max Domi torched Washington (in a 7-3 Leafs win on March 20). Strong net-front guy in Bert, best sniper in the game solid two-way beast in Matthews, great passer in Domi. Do you think the Leafs should leave that intact a few more games and put Mitch back with John Tavares if the new top-line results stay good?

Denver Riddell

A: There’s no doubt that Bertuzzi, Matthews and Domi have had some fine chemistry, and with the way that Domi passes the puck, he’s a great fit with Matthews.

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Domi, though, is not Marner. Few players compare. The Matthews/Marner combination, as we’ve witnessed time and again, is one of the most lethal in the NHL. While I can see the attraction in putting Marner back with Tavares, the Leafs are best when Matthews and Marner are on the same line. 

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Q: Why wouldn’t Nick Robertson be given an opportunity on the first power play since he is a goalscorer?

Kurt Hall

A: Replacing one of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner or John Tavares on the Leafs’ top power-play unit wouldn’t make much sense, even taking into account Robertson’s skill set. And with Marner out now, Tyler Bertuzzi has been getting that opportunity.

There might be more appetite for that if the power play had been struggling through the season. While the power play has hit a recent dry spell, the preference would be for the top unit to solve the issues without being changed. As it was, the Leafs’ power play sixth overall in the NHL as of Thursday. That doesn’t call for a modification.

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There’s also the idea that if the Leafs are in full health for Game 1 of the playoffs, Robertson’s spot in the lineup is not guaranteed.

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Q: When the Leafs (and most other teams) have a power play, why do they waste valuable seconds fiddling around in their own zone? The hockey minds must be able to devise a quicker means of entering the zone rather than continually passing backwards.

Roger Williams

A: It’s all about getting control of the puck and ensuring each player is in the right position before moving up the ice. The Leafs and other teams aren’t trying to waste time on purpose. 

In theory, using the drop pass, especially when it’s Auston Matthews or William Nylander winding up, is done to put the opposing team on its heels through the neutral zone. 

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Bottom line is, if it didn’t work enough to the liking of the Leafs and other teams, they wouldn’t keep using that tactic.

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Q: What is next if the Leafs get knocked out again in the first round? Do they just keep with the same players and hope for the best?

Roger Gonsalves

A: Considering all of the players in the core — Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares and Morgan Rielly — each has a no-move clause, it would be difficult to make big changes.

Having said that, we will be awfully curious to see how negotiations go with Marner once general manager Brad Treliving and agent Darren Ferris can start talking about a contract extension on July 1.

If the Leafs lose in the first round again, there’s going to have to be a change somewhere. Sheldon Keefe, at best, might not be safe.

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Q: Would you divide the core four across three lines in the playoffs?  Max Domi and Auston Matthews (have) looked good. John Tavares and William Nylander aren’t messing around. Marner maybe on the third line, and would you sprinkle the supporting cast around?

Jacob Wilson

A: No, I wouldn’t, to answer the initial question. If they are in the lineup, Matthews and Marner should be on the same line. 

Tavares and Nylander are the foundation, or should be, for the second line.

What we’re seeing with Domi is that he can be moved around and make his offensive presence felt, something that wasn’t happening earlier in the season. 

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Q: In your opinion, which Leafs have had surprisingly good seasons and which players have disappointed this year?

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Ed Helinski

A: In the surprisingly good, I’d have to include winger Bobby McMann and defenceman Simon Benoit, and that’s to take nothing away from either player. Considering McMann didn’t make his season debut with the Leafs until Nov. 11 after starting the season with the Toronto Marlies, his rise and new contract have been a revelation. Benoit, signed for depth last season, became a stabilizer once the Leafs started to run into injury trouble on the blue line. 

And the Leafs are thankful, of course, that veteran goalie Martin Jones was able to step in and win games.

As for players who have disappointed, what I would say is we all expected more production from Tyler Bertuzzi, though he has been better in the past couple months and will be relied upon in the playoffs.

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Few would have predicted the season-long dip in TJ Brodie’s play. Matthew Knies has learned to play in a much more competitive league than the NCAA and the challenges that the NHL schedule brings, but his offensive numbers probably aren’t as high as we figured they would be either.

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Q: Not sure if there is a reason Sheldon Keefe waits so long to set his lines year over year. Most elite teams not only have elite players, they also have consistently elite lines that play together over long stretches of time. Is there a reason why he seems to put experimentation over consistency?

Shawn Gaudette

A: The first and most obvious answer is injuries. As of Thursday, the list of Leafs who could potentially play in every game this season was down to two — William Nylander and Max Domi. 

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Finding wingers (outside of the obvious) who can make a consistent impact in the top six, as you know, has been a challenge for a while. Michael Bunting came the closest to meeting the example set by Zach Hyman, but there has been a state of flux since, for the most part. 

Settling on a player who best fits alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner isn’t as simple as we think. If Keefe found the guy he was comfortable with every game, there wouldn’t be the experimentation. We’ve seen how long it took Tyler Bertuzzi to get comfortable in the Leafs lineup, and that’s more on the player than anything else. 

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Q: Would the Leafs bring up Easton Cowan and even Fraser Minten for the playoffs if they’re available (like they did for Matthew Knies)?

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Nyran Khan

A: That would be a possibility, but keep in mind that both the London Knights and Saskatoon Blades are expected to have long playoff runs, if not win their respective league championship and advance the Memorial Cup in Saginaw in the last week of May.

Considering the Knights won the regular-season title in the Ontario Hockey League and the Blades did the same in the Western Hockey League, the chances either player would be available don’t seem to be great. And if either makes his way to Toronto, asking him to play and be impactful probably would be a stretch.

We’ve seen players join the Marlies once their seasons are done. That might be possible as well.

[email protected]

X: @koshtorontosun

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