The Toronto Maple Leafs are back in action on Friday night against the Buffalo Sabres. This game comes after a 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils. A game that featured a terrible second period that cost them the game.
When the team hit the ice for practice on October 23rd, the line combinations were thrown into a blender. The result was a lot of surprising trios (and duos) that will raise a few fans’ eyebrows.
Craig Berube Completely Shuffles the Top-Six
Some of the most significant changes to the lineup happened in the top-six forward group.
The top line in their loss to the Devils featured Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, and Max Domi. John Tavares centered the second line with Matias Maccelli and William Nylander.
This is how the top six looked at practice on October 23:
McMann – Matthews – Nylander
Knies – Tavares – Maccelli
Bobby McMann has been on a line with Matthews at one point this season, when the two of them played 3:13 with Knies on the other wing. McMann has scored at a high rate at even strength since the beginning of the 2023-24 season.
Bumping Knies down to the second line with Maccelli and Tavares seems like a good fit. Knies can be the finisher of that line, because Tavares and Maccelli both like to dish the puck.
Maple Leafs Bottom-Six & Extras
GettyDo the Maple Leafs have too many depth players on their roster?
The third and fourth lines feature some changes, but not to the same extent as the top two. Nic Roy and Dakota Joshua stay on the third line, while Steve Lorentz and Calle Jarnkrok are kept as a pair on the fourth line.
Easton Cowan comes in for the promoted McMann. Nick Robertson comes out of the lineup with Cowan coming in, causing Domi to drop down and center the new fourth line.
Head coach Craig Berube likes how hard Cowan works, making his return to the lineup a reasonable one. However, taking Robertson out when the organization is trying to trade him is a curious choice.
Maple Leafs Defense Pairings Without Chris Tanev
GettyChris Tanev
Earlier on Thursday, October 23, 2025, the Maple Leafs announced that defenseman Chris Tanev had been placed on injured reserve. The move is retroactive to October 21, 2025.
The team recalled Dakota Mermis from the Toronto Marlies as a result. Here were the defense pairings at practice:
McCabe – Carlo
Mermis – Ekman-Larsson
Benoit – Myers
Mermis was skating on a pairing that is assumed to be Morgan Rielly’s. According to David Alter of The Hockey News, Rielly was absent from practice.
Jake McCabe was Tanev’s defense partner before the latter went down with an injury. Outside of Tanev, McCabe’s next-most-common partner has been Brandon Carlo.
Simon Benoit and Philippe Myers were the team’s third pairing. If this pairing sticks for Friday’s game, it will be the first time that Myers has played this season. Last year, he recorded five points in 36 games, averaging 16:14 of ice time per game.
It’s not surprising to see completely different pairings, mainly because of Tanev’s injury. It will be interesting to see how long these combinations stick after the puck drops on Friday.
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