Marleau's versatility paying dividends for Leafs during Matthews' absence

If the Maple Leafs come through with a victory on Saturday in Boston, they'll have gone 3-0 without Auston Matthews in the lineup.

Anyone who watched the Leafs during the previous seven games - in which their only two wins came against a depleted Ducks squad and a shootout win over an expansion team - would have told you that losing their most dynamic and consistent player for the next three games would have been catastrophic.

While many Leafs have stepped up the past two games in Matthews' absence (and will need to do so again on Saturday), perhaps nobody has proved to be more valuable than veteran Patrick Marleau.

When the Leafs handed Marleau a three-year, $18.75-million contract in the offseason, they signed him to play the wing, just as he had done throughout the back nine of his career. However, with their No. 1 center out, Marleau has shifted back to his natural position, and there's good chance the Leafs wouldn't be 2-0 without Matthews if it weren't for his willingness to do so.

Not only does Marleau have goals in consecutive games, including the overtime winner Friday vs. the Bruins, but he has showed he is still capable of playing a strong 200-foot game, despite being 38 years old.

This is more impressive when you consider the short list of centers age 35 or over in the NHL:

As you can see, most of these players are still in the league as a third- or fourth-line center for their defensive and penalty-killing ability. Marleau now has seven goals and 12 points in 18 games, and remains one of Toronto's most reliable defensive forwards thanks to his skating ability, strength on the puck, and all-around intelligence.

Would Marleau rather just play the wing for all 82 games this season? Probably, but at this point in his career, all he cares about is winning, and he's clearly willing to do whatever it takes to help the team achieve that.

Leafs head coach Mike Babcock had other options as to who would shift to center without Matthews in the lineup. William Nylander and Mitch Marner are both natural centers, and former first-round pick Frederik Gauthier has been called up from the AHL.

Yet, Babcock called upon Marleau (a player he coached at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics) to play center, and with a championship likely the only thing on his mind, Marleau has answered the bell.

A $6.25 million cap hit for a player approaching 40 may seem like a lot, but so far Marleau has been worth every penny.