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Keefe made a mistake walking back his ''elite players didn't play like elite players'' comment and the aftermath is showing

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Evan Doerfler
October 31, 2022 (10:23)

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After the Ducks scored their second goal in the game with just under thirteen minutes remaining in the third period, Toronto Maple Leaf head coach Sheldon Keefe called a timeout where he looked to be calling out superstar forward Mitch Marner. The two goals resulted from a series of poor turnovers by the right winger after the Leafs had just re-gained momentum off of a short-handed goal by Calle Jarnkrok to start the third period. Keefe then proceeded to bench Marner, a situation he certainly wasn't pleased with.

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In the video, Marner seems to storm off the bench to collect himself. As this footage surfaced on the internet, many fans criticized the young forward for acting out when being punished for his poor play. Circling back even further, fans are blasting Keefe for Marner's actions due to his comment made just under two weeks ago following a loss against the Arizona Coyotes on home ice.

"The difference between us and Arizona is that we have elite players. And our elite players didn't play like elite players."

Keefe would later backtrack on these comments stating:

"I used some of the wrong words"

- Sheldon Keefe after the Leafs loss to the Arizona Coyotes on October 17th.

Many felt as though Keefe made the wrong decision when he walked back those comments. In fact, some pundits even believe that Keefe should have doubled down on the comment to send a message to his high-priced forwards. These are players who are paid to take over games, not tilt the ice in favour of the opposing teams.

In the eyes of most, the Marner benching in Anaheim was a step in the right direction, as it seems Keefe was making a statement. The problem was the reaction. The way Marner reacted ties into Keefe's back-pedaling on his comments, which demonstrated that the Leafs superstars can't take constructive criticism. In other words, it gives the impression that stars like Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews are running the show.

Compared to the Vancouver Canucks, their front office gave them one final ultimatum, or significant changes were on the way. In response, the Canucks have won two games straight, scoring ten goals in those two games. Keefe, who looks to be trying to do the same thing, got the opposite result. His star forward was not pleased, and the Leafs went on to lose the game 4-3 in overtime after being up 3-1 with just under thirteen minutes remaining in the third period.

After the loss in Anaheim, the Leafs move to 4-4-2 through ten games. With the result, the Leafs have ended their California road trip in a reverse sweep losing all three games. Ahead of their next matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night at Scotiabank arena, the Leafs are on a four-game losing streak.

It will be interesting to see how the Leafs respond, but many are left wondering about the strength and maturity of this young Leafs core following tonight's blown lead.

Credit: sportsnet.ca

Previously on Maple Leafs Daily

The Leafs' next 5 opponents are not going to make climbing out of the hole they've dug for themselves easy

''Erik Kallgren is not an NHL goalie'', says popular draft/prospects reporter

Morgan Rielly not making excuses for the Leafs' struggles, puts the onus on the team to figure it out

POLL
OCTOBRE 31 \| 131 ANSWERS Keefe made a mistake walking back his ''elite players didn't play like elite players'' comment and the aftermath is showing Did Keefe make a mistake when he publicly walked back his comment about the Leafs' young stars not playing elite hockey?
Huge mistake	83	63.4 %
No, I didn't have a problem with it	12	9.2 %
He should have doubled down	36	27.5 %
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Keefe made a mistake walking back his ''elite players didn't play like elite players'' comment and the aftermath is showing

Did Keefe make a mistake when he publicly walked back his comment about the Leafs' young stars not playing elite hockey?