Toronto Maple Leafs: Sheldon Keefe’s Best and Worst Decisions

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a hard team to judge because they’re in first place, and they seem to be starting to meet expectations, but at the same time, they aren’t exactly dominating games or winning in a fashion that seems (at least traditionally) sustainable.

I didn’t like the idea of Thornton on the first line, and I would rather the team play a more wide open style because I think that if you have more talent than other teams you should try and use it.  I didn’t like that Robertson wasn’t immediately used in the top six and I wasn’t a fan of Wayne Simmonds playing high in the lineup or giving regular minutes to Zach Bogosian.

I wasn’t (and still am not) convinced it makes any sense to have Mikko Lehtonen and not play him every day, nor do I think Jimmy Vesey is better than four or five other options.  I’d also use Nylander and Tavares a lot more at 5v5, and I’d employ a super-line with Tavares on the left of Matthews and Marner, while moving Nylander to centre the second line with Hyman and  Robertson.

So there are  a lot of things I don’t necessarily agree with the coach about, but the Leafs are winning, so who cares? I would rather the coach be right and see the team win than have to constantly question every little decision.

I do think the Leafs could use a more skill-heavy version of their lineup, but I also think that Bogosian has been a somewhat pleasant surprise and that the idea of Thornton on the top line was brilliant.  That’s Keefe’s best decision so far, in my opinion.

I will wait to judge on the other stuff, but I don’t think the Leafs will truly be dominant over the longterm until they take full advantage of the talent they’ve got on the bench right now.