Mitch Marner plays his first shift as a defenseman and gets absolutely walked
Earlier this year Sheldon Keefe shared the idea of playing Mitch Marner as a defenseman. Keefe felt that Marner's puck moving ability and defensive abilities were enough to offset his lack of experience in the position. Keefe thought that Marner could transition seamlessly into the role.
Last night Keefe felt it was the right time to implement that strategy with the Leafs trailing 2-1 late in the 3rd period. That experiment lasted exactly one shift after New Jersey Devil's Captain, Nico Hischier absolutely walked Marner and nearly put the Devils out of reach.
Hischier quickly realized that he had a major advantage and made the move to prove it.
Keefe immediately recognized the error in his ways and opted to move Marner back to his normal position on the wing. The Leafs ended up coming back to tie the game and take it to overtime, before the Devils would put away the winning goal for a 3-2 win and their 11th in a row.
| POLL | ||
18 NOVEMBRE | 1 ANSWERS Mitch Marner plays his first shift as a defenseman and gets absolutely walked Does it make sense to try Mitch Marner on defense? | ||
| No, it's not a good choice | 0 | 0 % |
| Yes, it's a smart play | 0 | 0 % |
| List of polls | ||
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