Mitch Marner did his best Shohei Ohtani impression on Thursday when he took shifts as a defenceman in the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes.
The Maple Leafs had a hole to fill after veteran defender Mark Giordano went down with an injury in the first period, but head coach Sheldon Keefe said the move was discussed before the injury happened.
“We were talking about needing a right defenceman even before the game started,” Keefe said, adding the move helped the other five defenders manage their energy.
With Timothy Lilgren currently out with an injury, the Maple Leafs have been forced to dress lineups with six left-shot blue-liners. Marner, a right-shot, is a strong skater and a regular on the penalty kill, making him a trusted candidate to fill in on defence.
Marner had one assist and skated 20:36 in the game. Speaking afterwards, he said he will play wherever he’s asked to.
“Obviously it’s a bit of a learning curve back there for me out there,” Marner said. “For me it’s just trying to find plays and try not to make mistakes.”
The Maple Leafs’ experiment with Marner on defence will likely be short-lived. After the game, the team announced it had re-acquired right-shot blueliner Ilya Lyubushkin in a three-team trade with the Ducks and Hurricanes.
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