Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube has found an effective third line, and he’d be wise to stick with them for the rest of the season.

The trio of Nicolas Roy, Easton Cowan, and Nick Robertson have been together for a few games now and with their mesh of skillsets, are impacting the game from Toronto’s bottom six. With their speed, tenacity, and finishing abilities, they’ve quickly become a third line for Berube who brings an identity to the ice every single shift.

In Roy, the Leafs have a defensive-minded right-handed centre, who isn’t shy to use his big frame to create positioning advantages on the ice. Roy pays close attention to the fine details in the defensive zone, and he’s also a very underrated playmaker and loaded with offensive instincts. That’s why he’s meshing so well with the Leafs’ young duo.

Robertson has quickly become one of the stories for the Leafs this season as his worker-bee mentality is rubbing off on the rest of the room. The former second-round pick has put in the work to develop in all three zones, he’s much more efficient with his energy, and of late, he’s finding the back of the net, which is something the Leafs are desperate for more of from their bottom six.

Cowan fits in perfectly with on this line because for a rookie, he’s as smart as they come reading the ice, and while he has a long way to go to be a defensive juggernaut on the wing, Cowan’s work ethic is his biggest strength. The former first-round pick has had himself a fine rookie season, and on this line, is finally being given consistent minutes and dressing on a regular basis. The same can be said about Robertson too, as these two wingers are two who Berube tends to look to when he wants to make changes to the roster. Right now, Berube shouldn’t even be considering taking them out of the lineup, as he should continue to keep the line together and see how far they can go with their success.

With Dakota Joshua out long term with a lacerated kidney, it’s provide an opportunity for more ice time. Robertson and Cowan deserve a bigger role on the Leafs, and while it’s taken a couple of months for Roy to look complete comfortable in blue and white, he’s been a very effective centre for Berube recently, and it has a lot to do with consistency on his wings. Roy had played with Joshua most of the season, so it’s no surprise to see him take a few games to get dialed in with new linemates. Right now, this line is arguably the second-most effective on the ice behind the red-hot Auston Matthews.

Multiple times throughout the early parts of the season, the Leafs’ bench boss was putting his lines in a blender, and the players admitted early on this season that it was tough building chemistry with everchanging line combinations. Heading into Tuesday’s game against the Florida Panthers, Berube’s stuck with, for the most part, the exact same line combinations recently, and it’s paying off. It’s allowing for chemistry to form and for instincts to kick in. The game is a lot easier when you’re reacting and not thinking, and chemistry is very influential.

The Maple Leafs need as much consistency in their lives as possible, as they’ve been pounded by the injury bug this season. Berube has struck gold with the line of Roy, Robertson, and Cowan, and if he keeps them together for the long run, it could very easily turn into a dependable trio, and some identity for Toronto’s bottom six. They’ll never be outworked, they’re getting better as a cohesive unit defensively, and given their hockey IQ’s, will continue to develop into a trio that can be leaned on for big goals.

It’s been a very tough season to try and build chemistry with your linemates on the Maple Leafs, because the names and places have been changing on a regular basis this year, thanks to a slew of injuries. It hasn’t been easy for Berube to find the right combinations at times, but with the second half of the season upon us, he can count on Roy, Cowan, and Robertson to be an effective unit on the ice.