Patrick Marleau is struggling right now, it’s no secret. He hasn't scored a goal in a bazillion games. Has his chemistry with Couture and Wingels hit a rough patch?
Here’s a look at Marleau, 5v5, with and without Wingels and Couture, and also with and without Nieto and Hertl. Dark green is with, light green is without.
Obviously Marleau has spent the majority of the season with Couture and Wingels so the numbers with and without those two come with a larger sample size to base things from. It also means that McLellan should entertain removing Marleau from the second line.
Marleau has played significantly less time with Nieto and Hertl than he has with Wingels and Couture but the potential is there for a line that is a positive possession line as well as talent filled while Marleau gets out of his slump – and maybe even beyond if the line produces and plays well defensively.
Just to drive home the idea of Marleau being taken from the second line, let’s look at Logan Couture and Tommy Wingels apart from Marleau.
Couture’s CF% goes up as does Wingels – while lesser of an increase than Couture – staying at a steady, positive possession number. The driving force behind possession on the Wingels-Couture-Marleau line is Logan Couture. With the removal of Marleau seemingly not hindering the possession of that line is it that outlandish to think that Marleau should try to break his slump with, potentially, better linemates with regards to shot attempts?
So who takes Marleau's spot on the second line? That’s easy, it’s the Melk Man, the Melk-o-rino, the Melkster. Melker Karlsson has a 57.6% CF% with Logan Couture in the meager 19+ minutes they've played together. A small sample size for sure, but a nice result and Karlsson is playing solid hockey and is hot right now. I’m not suggesting this is a long-term solution, just a fill-in while Marleau finds his game again.
But how would that affect the rest of the lineup? Let’s take a look.
Goodrow-Thornton-Pavelski Karlsson-Couture-Wingels Nieto-Marleau-Hertl Hamilton-Sheppard-McGinn
Notice Goodrow on the top line, here’s why: Joe Thornton makes everyone better. When Barclay Goodrow doesn't play with Melker Karlsson he generally dips below 50%CF. When he plays with Thornton – although a small sample ( but Joe always dominates possession so Goodrow can just tag along) – he’s above 60%.
The fourth line is what it is; options are slim. Ideally Kennedy is there – because he’s been solid at possession - but he’s injured so what can you do? Hamilton had success (52.7%CF) with Sheppard in the small amount of time they spent together last year and McGinn is the better option over John Scott. It also gives a look at the Sharks without Andrew Desjardins, which might be long overdue.
The Sharks top-six needs to produce goals and if moving Patrick Marleau out of that group for a few games to find renewed life allows those goals to return then so be it. It doesn't have to be an extended time on the third line – nor does it mean he has to play only 10-12 minutes per game. It’s all about putting him in a position to get a spark without really hurting the team in general with the end goal being a productive Marleau back on the 2nd line in the top six.
Matt Nieto and Tomas Hertl are talented players that play smart with the puck, they won’t hinder Marleau's chances at scoring goals – they might even generate more considering both Hertl and Nieto have a better individual CF% than both Wingels and Couture. It’s all about getting Marleau out of his slump and finding chemistry through depth.
Of course, after all of this, you could just say why not play him with Thornton? He’s a 60+ percent corsi player with him as well. That’s certainly an interesting option but with McLellan enjoying Hertl and Nieto on the third line lately this gives them a more offensive option rather than James Sheppard – potentially creating more offense while Marleau un-slumps himself. That and Barclay Goodrow, if he isn't going to be with Melker Karlsson, needs maximum sheltering – and Thornton is the guy to provide that.
The Sharks face the Blues tonight and Joe Thornton’s status at time of posting was still unknown. If he’s in, let’s see the above line combinations. If he’s not, well, let’s hold on and hope that it’s not another massacre.
Thanks for reading.