The Toronto Maple Leafs have tried some novel new tactics this season and for the most part they’ve paid off.
While plenty of people might have suggested that a five-forward powerplay could work with the Toronto Maple Leafs offense, it didn’t happen immediately.
In fact it took Morgan Rielly and Rasmus Sandin both going down injured to see it used in a real game-time scenario.
Likewise, it took a very poor run of overtime form before Sheldon Keefe tried something new by deploying two defensemen from the start of the extra period.
Toronto Maple Leafs Give Keefe Some Creative Freedom
The Toronto Maple Leafs impressive form is the key reason that Sheldon Keefe has this scope to experiment.
If he were to deploy such tactics with the team in a poor vein of form, you can imagine the blow-up about him clutching at straws or having lost the team.
In fact, Sheldon Keefe copped some derision earlier in the season before results had gone either positively or negatively when he suggested Mitch Marner might be used as a defenseman at times.
Fact is that with his five forward unit on the powerplay, that’s exactly the role Marner is fulfilling with his hockey smarts, certainly making this a smart judgement call on the part of the Toronto Maple Leafs coaching staff.
Likewise, running out David Kampf as the starting forward for a 3-on-3 overtime when you have the likes of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner and John Tavares at your disposal might not appeal widely.
However, the Czech centre’s ability to win a faceoff draw, or when partnered with two defensemen, his ability to win the puck back gives the Leafs a strong chance on attack.
Whereas too many powerplay were blown early on with puck giveaways and the like when the elite group of forwards got too fancy, Kampf is never likely to head towards the goal.
Instead, he is being smartly deployed by the Toronto Maple Leafs to have some level of insurance on puck possession and maybe tire an elite opponent trio before releasing the Leafs’ star players.
Again, it might not be to everyone’s taste and it might not be the same tactic everyone else uses in what is largely a copycat league, but it certainly proved effective for them versus the St. Louis Blues.
There’s been a lot of tactical changes out of pure necessity with injuries and poor overtime decision making; however it’s starting to show Sheldon Keefe as possibly a wilier tactician than we give credit.
Right now, the Toronto Maple Leafs are properly rolling and that’s despite every obstacle they’ve faced. Keefe must be given some level of credit for his judgement through that stretch of form.