In general, embodiments of the invention relate to managing the processing of network data units (NDUs) received by a network device. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to minimize the use of a peer link between two multichassis link aggregation group (MLAG) peers to transmit NDUs that are to be routed or bridged by the MLAG peers. The aforementioned minimization of the use of the peer link may be achieved, e.g., using a shared media access control (MAC) address.