The Toronto Maple Leafs return to action tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers after having a four-day break with a pair of full days off. In their return to action, they will use the same defensive pairings that they rolled out on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens. That means Simon Benoit will be scratched for the second consecutive game in favour of righty Timothy Liljegren.
Benoit isn't the only one that is unhappy to be a scratch as many Leaf fans have been up in arms on social media defending the pending RFA and dragging Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe through the mud over the decision. Teammate Nicholas Robertson has also been vocal about being unhappy with his situation, being demoted before the deadline due to his waiver exemption - another move that fans have criticized the Leafs for.
The "Milk Man", as he is referred to by his teammates, has endeared himself to not only the team, but Leaf fans with his hard-nosed, physical style of play and willingness to do all the little things to help the team win.
Benoit signed a 1-year deal just prior to training camp and will be an RFA with arbitration rights at the end of the season. Through 49 games with the Leafs, he has 1 goal and 4 points, but has 174 hits and 76 blocks while playing an average of 16:56 per game.
