A recent roster decision has many thinking Sheldon Keefe is out of his mind
Leaf fans were up in arms once again before the puck even dropped in Vancouver on Saturday night. Sheldon Keefe demoted Scarborough, ON native Michael Bunting to the third line. His spot was taken by Alex Kerfoot and the game did not go well for the Leafs. They dominated the first period, couldn't snap themselves out of it in the second and were downright sloppy in the third. Losing Matthews for a short time to a shot block and O'Reilly for the entire third period due to a hand injury didn't help, but the Leafs still managed to lose a very winnable game in embarrassing fashion.
When asked about the decision to promote Kerfoot over Bunting, Keefe's answer raised eyebrows across Leafs Nation.
"I just think Kerf has been playing better than Bunts. That is really it. Kerf was outstanding. It was maybe his best game of the season the other night (against Calgary). We were trying to change that up a little bit, change that group a little bit there, and get a little bit more from them."
- Sheldon Keefe on the decision to swap Bunting and Kerfoot
- Sheldon Keefe on the decision to swap Bunting and Kerfoot
Breaking up what was the best line in hockey last season is always going to be met with controversy. Doing so while promoting a player with just 3 assists in the last month is, at the very least, a head-scratcher. Bunting may not be at his best lately, but Kerfoot missed a wide open net and wrongly celebrated after hitting the post in the Calgary game on separate plays. Is that really the guy you think is going to help get Matthews and Marner going? He has one goal in his last 26 games - not exactly an offensive catalyst.
Personally, I would have liked to see the speedy, hard forechecking of Sam Lafferty given a shot on Matthews' wing before going back to 'ol unreliable. Kerfoot has been tried there in the past, and it doesn't work. It's becoming clear that Dubas would have been better off dealing Kerfoot at the deadline, if only to keep Sheldon Keefe from using him in situations where he doesn't belong.
Previously on Maple Leafs Daily
| POLL | ||
MARS 6 | 347 ANSWERS A recent roster decision has many thinking Sheldon Keefe is out of his mind Who should play on Matthews and Marner's wing? | ||
| Kerfoot | 15 | 4.3 % |
| Bunting | 176 | 50.7 % |
| Lafferty | 81 | 23.3 % |
| Can Knies sign yet? | 75 | 21.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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