Mitch Marner was used defensively by Sheldon Keefe and it was a disaster! (Video)
A few weeks ago, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe admitted that he intends to think outside the box this season by trying unique experiments.
One of his ideas was to use star forward Mitch Marner as a defenseman in specific game situations. In fact, he regularly practices in that position so that he is ready when opportunities arise.
During a game between the Leafs and New Jersey Devils yesterday, Keefe saw an opportunity when his team was down by one goal with only six minutes left in the third period to try it out.
Of course, the idea of playing Marner as a defenseman is primarily to add weight to his team's offense, to try to score a goal in a critical moment.
However, playing as a back, it is possible that the situation requires defense and that is exactly what happened yesterday, when forward Nico Hischier came into the Toronto zone with the puck and challenged him one-on-one.
Not only was Marner unable to stop it, but the Devils' forward even took himself out of the game completely, finding himself alone in front of the goalie. Let's just say that Hischier gave him a real cup of coffee.
I don't know if Keefe will dare to try it again!
Here is the sequence in question:
Credit: HabsolumentFan
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Do you think it's ridiculous to play Mitch Marner on defense? | ||
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