Philip Van Riesen
There has been plenty of good and plenty of bad roster decisions by Sheldon Keefe through what is approximately the first quarter of the season. No coach is perfect, and a coach can’t make every fan happy.
However, some of the decisions Keefe has made have been questionable. Engvall and Dermott being scratched over Barbanov and Lehtonen is a huge misjudgment. It is important to note that the circumstances of these decisions may be influenced by a few things that Keefe can’t control.
For reference, if Keefe were to not give any of these European players a chance could easily heading back to play in Europe. This would also give the Leafs a bad reputation when it comes to European free agents signing with the Leafs in the future. With this all being said, Engvall and Dermott are both far superior players to Barbanov and Lehtonen.
Engvall has clearly exemplified the ability to transition the puck from the defensive zone to offense while being able to provide a solid defensive presence with his long stick and positioning. Engvall has among the top defensive metrics on the Leafs and in terms of limiting shots against, Engvall currently sits number one on the team.
In most defensive metrics Barbanov has been among the worst on the Leafs roster, and it’s not like he is providing any offense for the team with 0 points in 6 games.
Meanwhile, in Dermott’s case, he has almost the same argument, a player who the team performs very well with him on the ice, and his defensive numbers are solid which they have been since he came into the league.
Dermott’s agility, gap control, and strength make him a hard player to play against. While Lehtonen has been a disaster defensively with the worst defensive numbers on the team in multiple categories, he doesn’t seem to be effective on his own end at all.
Lehtonen has indeed shown some flashes of skill offensively, but he isn’t strong enough of a player and loses too many puck battles. In conclusion, there is nothing to warrant Engvall or Dermott being scratched in any game on any given night and I hope that Sheldon Keefe realizes this eventually.