The problem is Toronto doesn't draft dmen and when they do they try and turn them into something they aren't. Lily is an offensive type defensemen, so is Reilly. Because we have no one we try and change them. Lily would get 40 pts and be effective on another team that had a lot of defensive dman. You don't turn a sword into a gun so to speak. Keefe was never the right coach for this team ever.
That's an interesting take. I think they try to turn dmen into "all around defenders" rather than say turn them form "offensive" into "defensive" and that seems more commendable, though still turning nrem into something they are not, so maybe your original point remains true.
Having said this, and maybe it's too late, this is one of the things i like about the D signings the Leafs made this off-season. They seem to augment, compliment and support our existing personnel.
Tanev with Reilly could allow Mo to play his actual game. He can take more chances and push the play knowing he has Tanev with him.
I am not sure what the next two pairings will be (assuming Haakanpaa doesn't factor in early), but if we keep McCabe and Benoit together (which worked well last year) then this leaves OEL with Lily and I really like this potential. Isn't the ideal role and upside for Liljegren to become an OEL? Maybe it is the guy who can score points, move the puck and play some PP without being a liability defensively? I could see OEL as a great mentor and support for Lily whether they are paired together or not.
On that note, we have some PP options in OEL and Liljegren that we should explore. It will reduce Rielly's points but also his ice time and maybe even the pressure on him. Timmins could factor in here, but he is a longshot wildcard and I don't know who's role he takes in the lineup.
We also have Benoit, McCabe, Tanev, OEL and Hakanpaa (wild card) on the PK now with no one (Rielly and Liljegren) being miscast.
If these are our six, maybe the ice time is more evenly distributed also, which I think can only help all of them; maybe 16 ES minutes for each pair, 3 PP minutes for each of Reilly and Lily (19 total), and 3 PK minutes for Tanev, OEL, McCabe and Benoit (also 19 total each).
This is a balance and depth (and intentionality in role) we have not had in the Shanny era. It also provides a framework for load managing OEL, Tanev and even Rielly and McCabe. Rielly, McCabe, Tanev and Liljegren all averaged more than 19 minutes a night last year.
Hakanpaa, Timmins, Myers and Niemela provide some nice depth and options also with different guys getting the call depending on who is out with injury.