Substantial Changes on the Way After Craig Berube Shuffles Lines in Second Consecutive Loss

On Saturday, with the Leafs down 2-0 entering the third, Craig Berube demoted Auston Matthews off of the top line and replaced him with John Tavares. It was the second game in a row that Berube attempted to bring some life to the forwards after another miserable first two periods.

While the change didn't work as the Leafs failed to generate any offense in the third, it has led many to speculate that Berube is toying with the idea of more significant and permanent changes to the top two lines in Toronto.

Although Marner was satisfied with the Leafs' effort the past two games, Berube and defenseman Chris Tanev were not aligned with the pending UFA's comments.

Matthews has been largely solid since returning to the lineup with 8 points in five games, Marner has just 1 goal in his last 8 games, William Nylander has 1 goal in his last 10 games and Tavares has just 1 goal in his last five games.

The Leafs have a couple of days off before taking on the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, so line rushes at practice on Monday will be watched very closely to determine if Berube's latest round of shuffling will stick and if the likes of Ryan Reaves and/or Pontus Holmberg find themselves back in the lineup at the bottom of the roster.