News Article: The 2020 Defense.

[Wafflewhipper]

There is lots of info besides how defense could shake out in this question/ answer article.https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2021/01/04/sheldon-keefe-on-toronto-maple-leafs-blue-line/

 

[Wafflewhipper]

Putting Rielly on first pair is beyond nonsense. He is a number 3-4 at best. Because he can't defend and pass. With lot of space he will flourish. But in the playoffs things tighten up. And he is useless. Kadri trade was pure suicide. A center with grit and point per game playoff performer gone for nothing. Instead of Rielly. That's on management. People that make such mistakes won't get things right. Prepare for another togh season. Hell, I had more optimism before 07-08 season.

Go shake yer pillow

 

[crump]

There is lots of info besides how defense could shake out in this question/ answer article.https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2021/01/04/sheldon-keefe-on-toronto-maple-leafs-blue-line/

"In doing so (putting Kerfoot, Hyman and Mikheyev together), Hyman and Mikheyev are not available in the top six. We had to fill those spots. As we went into free agency, we looked at different options. I talked to Joe about this opportunity. This wasn’t a decision made after the fact. This was something I had talked with him about before he had even decided to sign here."

That's a bit of a wow moment for me. Keefe made it a priority to have Hyman with Kefoot on a third line, opening the option and offer to Thornton to play in the top six.

 

[Zybalto]

Quick analysis of Andersen's workload in net after Keefe took over.

Under Babcock 2016-2019 (with league ranking among the 40 goalies with 5000+minutes during that time):

Shots against/60: 33.33 (39th lowest out of 40)
Expected Goals against/60: 2.77 (39th lowest out of 40)
Save%: .918 (10th highest out of 40)

Under siege the entire time under Babcock, Andersen was a wall in net for the Leafs.

Under Keefe (with league ranking among the 38 goalies with 1200+minutes during that time):

Shots against/60: 31.48 (23rd lowest out of 38)
Expected Goals against/60: 2.5 (17th lowest out of 38)
Save%: .908 (26th highest out of 38)

Despite massive reductions in shots and scoring chances against, Andersen really slipped in the new year as shots started going right through him. Leafs may have been the most improved defensive team in the league under Keefe though, masked by Andersen's issues.


How he ranked against the eventual Vezina finalists during the time under Keefe (just for fun):

Shots against/60:

Vasilevskiy: 21st lowest out of 38
Andersen: 23rd lowest out of 38
Hellebuyck: 30th lowest out of 38
Markstrom: 37th lowest out of 38

High Danger Shots/60:

Vasilevskiy: 13th lowest out of 38
Andersen: 15th lowest out of 38
Markstrom: 27th lowest out of 38
Hellebuyck: 35th lowest out of 38

Expected Goals against/60:

Vasilevskiy: 8th lowest out of 38
Andersen: 17th lowest out of 38
Hellebuyck: 34th lowest out of 38
Markstrom: 35th lowest out of 38

Save%:

Markstrom: .923
Vasilevskiy: .921
Hellebuyck: .918
Andersen: .908

 

[Zybalto]

Really interested to see what happens now defensively under Keefe with added D depth and no injury issues.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

"In doing so (putting Kerfoot, Hyman and Mikheyev together), Hyman and Mikheyev are not available in the top six. We had to fill those spots. As we went into free agency, we looked at different options. I talked to Joe about this opportunity. This wasn’t a decision made after the fact. This was something I had talked with him about before he had even decided to sign here."

That's a bit of a wow moment for me. Keefe made it a priority to have Hyman with Kefoot on a third line, opening the option and offer to Thornton to play in the top six.

He said they discussed that Marner/Matthews played lots of minutes and Jumbo was good with him not being on every minute with them. Getting Hyman to the third line for me is no snub to Hyman, not even a little bit. This is our transition to top 6, bottom 6 that is important to team defense. Hyman will get time on the 1st line also he quoted. So when Joe slots out, Hyman slots up and then he mentioned Simmonds slots up also etc.
The fluidity of the line ups from game to game should really keep players hungry and competing for more minutes.
I don’t even think for a second that our very good defensive third line will have any trouble scoring some big goals for us. The mindset bottom 6 is being expressed it’s shutdown first. They will but they will score some too.
Every player from the taxi squad should feel they will get playing time and be just ready and waiting. With the schedule this depths contribution are very important. We have good depth and Joe on the first line is something I’m good with. Here is some talk on it in this video Thornton calls first practice with Maple Leafs 'a thrill'

 

[Fogelhund]

Putting Rielly on first pair is beyond nonsense. He is a number 3-4 at best. Because he can't defend and pass. With lot of space he will flourish. But in the playoffs things tighten up. And he is useless. Kadri trade was pure suicide. A center with grit and point per game playoff performer gone for nothing. Instead of Rielly. That's on management. People that make such mistakes won't get things right. Prepare for another togh season. Hell, I had more optimism before 07-08 season.

Another angry person, who really lacks an understanding of much with this team. We certainly do have our share of people who love to hate the team, they claim to love. If you don't understand why Kadri had to be traded, you weren't paying attention, and no, this isn't just about playoff suspensions. The comments about Rielly, I mean LOL.... other than playing this years playoffs injured, he'd put up 15 points in 20 games... but useless right? 0.75 PPG playoff D man... useless...pffftt!!! Can't pass? What and who are you watching? Yes, not the best defensive d man... but can't defend... really, I shouldn't even be acknowledge such tripe.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

Another angry person, who really lacks an understanding of much with this team. We certainly do have our share of people who love to hate the team, they claim to love. If you don't understand why Kadri had to be traded, you weren't paying attention, and no, this isn't just about playoff suspensions. The comments about Rielly, I mean LOL.... other than playing this years playoffs injured, he'd put up 15 points in 20 games... but useless right? 0.75 PPG playoff D man... useless...pffftt!!! Can't pass? What and who are you watching? Yes, not the best defensive d man... but can't defend... really, I shouldn't even be acknowledge such tripe.

Haha yeah. It’s a new decade i would like to start by living in the present too ha. Roaring 20’s again

 

[Mess]

Lehtonen is gonna take that top 4 spot from Holl.

I'm hoping Lehtonen is a pleasant surprise and can play regularly in our top 4 D as well.

Rielly - Brodie
Muzzin - Lehtonen

Looks like a top 4 that can be trusted and hopefully can bring some stability to the defense on a nightly basis.

Holl is more a 3rd pairing serviceable player on a team with Cup aspirations, ideally he is a #6/7 and used as needed. I'd have Dermott, Bogosian and even Sandin playing ahead of him when all are healthy.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

What’s wrong with Holl all the sudden? The guy played some hard minutes for us with no way to afford him anywhere to find any sheltered minutes. He fought his way through it as best he could. Holl is a competent dman. Forced right in to playing against the very best and i give him thumbs up man. He’s come so far so fast in usage I don’t even have a clue how he could pick it up that fast and pkay as good as he did.
Holl was solid, is solid.

 

[Oscar Peterson]

What’s wrong with Holl all the sudden? The guy played some hard minutes for us with no way to afford him anywhere to find any sheltered minutes. He fought his way through it as best he could. Holl is a competent dman. Forced right in to playing against the very best and i give him thumbs up man. He’s come so far so fast in usage I don’t even have a clue how he could pick it up that fast and pkay as good as he did.
Holl was solid, is solid.

His puck skills are terrible, yet he seems to love carrying the puck more than anything. There was a roughly 15-game stretch last year where he just focused on playing shut down hockey and I was surprised how effective he was. Then it seemed after we extended him that he thought he had to be an offensive driver, so many times he would try to go end to end, or refuse to pass to Matthews or Marner in the neutral zone, only to drift aimlessly into the right O-zone corner and fire a soft shot from a terrible angle.

I'll have no problem with him if he gets to playing simple and safe hockey which imo aligns much better with his skillset. But I'm not sure he will.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

His puck skills are terrible, yet he seems to love carrying the puck more than anything. There was a roughly 15-game stretch last year where he just focused on playing shut down hockey and I was surprised how effective he was. Then it seemed after we extended him that he thought he had to be an offensive driver, so many times he would try to go end to end, or refuse to pass to Matthews or Marner in the neutral zone, only to drift aimlessly into the right O-zone corner and fire a soft shot from a terrible angle.

I'll have no problem with him if he gets to playing simple and safe hockey which imo aligns much better with his skillset. But I'm not sure he will.

Keefe will play to win from game 1 ... he will do whatever it takes ... my guess is we start year with 11 forwards and 7 dmen .. and Lehtonen plays PP mostly ... Barabanov will slot in as 12th forward and Lehtonen will slot out in tougher tighter matches against teams like Jets, Flames and Sens

 

[Oscar Peterson]

Keefe will play to win from game 1 ... he will do whatever it takes ... my guess is we start year with 11 forwards and 7 dmen .. and Lehtonen plays PP mostly ... Barabanov will slot in as 12th forward and Lehtonen will slot out in tougher tighter matches against teams like Jets, Flames and Sens

Keefe already said we will not start the year with 7D dressed, he also says he thinks the team might use it at some points in the season it won't be their go-to strategy.

Either way, let's at least see how Lehtonen looks, his resume and track record is a lot more impressive than Zaitsev, Ozhiganov, Rosen, Borgman, etc.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

His puck skills are terrible, yet he seems to love carrying the puck more than anything. There was a roughly 15-game stretch last year where he just focused on playing shut down hockey and I was surprised how effective he was. Then it seemed after we extended him that he thought he had to be an offensive driver, so many times he would try to go end to end, or refuse to pass to Matthews or Marner in the neutral zone, only to drift aimlessly into the right O-zone corner and fire a soft shot from a terrible angle.

I'll have no problem with him if he gets to playing simple and safe hockey which imo aligns much better with his skillset. But I'm not sure he will.

Yeah haha, he felt like he had to do more and lost focus from getting the contract probably and forgot that what he was doing was what got him the contract. Players do that after contracts so much it’s funny. His role was a heap of responsibility all at once added. I think learning curve that will help him this year. I really admire how he even handled the added pressure/ responsibility as good as he did. Right on the money Oscar, he needs to just keep it simple and play defense.

 

[BlueForever75]

Pairing should be:

Reilly-Brodie
Muzzin-Dermott
Lethonen-Bogosian

Sandin-Holl

If Dermott doesnt work on right side then try Lethonen there. If they both dont work then bring Holl back in with Muzzin alternating both Lethonen and Dermott based on opponent.

But to me Dermott is our future and we need to see what he can do on the right side. If he plays as good or better then Holl then that is a plus.

We should see what we have, crap the Russian junior team had all left handed shots in their entire lineup except for one player and they played well. Why cant an NHL player do the same.

 

[The Podium]

There is lots of info besides how defense could shake out in this question/ answer article.https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2021/01/04/sheldon-keefe-on-toronto-maple-leafs-blue-line/

Saying all the right things.

I love the new look 3rd line, hopefully it lasts.

 

[Oscar Peterson]

Yeah haha, he felt like he had to do more and lost focus from getting the contract probably and forgot that what he was doing was what got him the contract. Players do that after contracts so much it’s funny. His role was a heap of responsibility all at once added. I think learning curve that will help him this year. I really admire how he even handled the added pressure/ responsibility as good as he did. Right on the money Oscar, he needs to just keep it simple and play defense.

Feel similar about how Marner played last year after the contract lol. I know he paced for the same amount of points as the year prior and the Marner-Matthews duo was dynamite overall but he just looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders last season, didn't look like the beast he was in 2018-19. I think he has another gear in him still. Nylander was able to bounce back in a terrific way after an ugly contract negotiation, I expect the same outta Mitch.

 

[Smif]

"In doing so (putting Kerfoot, Hyman and Mikheyev together), Hyman and Mikheyev are not available in the top six. We had to fill those spots. As we went into free agency, we looked at different options. I talked to Joe about this opportunity. This wasn’t a decision made after the fact. This was something I had talked with him about before he had even decided to sign here."

That's a bit of a wow moment for me. Keefe made it a priority to have Hyman with Kefoot on a third line, opening the option and offer to Thornton to play in the top six.

He wants a legit checking line it looks like. Not much bite but good hockey sense and speed.

 

[Zybalto]

I like these pairings:

Reilly-Brodie: Obvious pairing to try to gel at the start of the season. Should be able to handle toughish minutes while providing explosive transition offense.
Muzzin-Holl: One of the better shutdown pairings in the league last year. Have to keep them together to see if it wasnt an illusion.
Dermott-Lethonen: You can actually switch these two around to play either side as well. Good test to see if Lethonen can handle the transition to the NHL by being paired with one of the better 5s in the league.
Sandin-Bogosian: Sandin was lights out when not paired with Barrie or Liljegren last year. A stable rock behind him will allow him to play to his strengths.

It really does feel like we are able to absorb an injury or two on D and not feel the same pain we did last year with this team. Liljegren (who wasnt quite ready last year) will also be a year older and will be ready for another shot soon.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

Feel similar about how Marner played last year after the contract lol. I know he paced for the same amount of points as the year prior and the Marner-Matthews duo was dynamite overall but he just looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders last season, didn't look like the beast he was in 2018-19. I think he has another gear in him still. Nylander was able to bounce back in a terrific way after an ugly contract negotiation, I expect the same outta Mitch.

I didn’t like Marner’s body language and overall game either. Likely lots of us spotted the difference. It looked like it wasn’t much fun and when fans and Media and your father gets involved with your contract negotiations it can be nothing but a gong show and it was a gong show.
That’s athlete pressure’s in Leaf Nation. It’s behind us all I’m hoping. Thats why they can prioritize keeping it light off the ice and all business on the ice but fun too. Keefe is a player coach but seems firm too.
If they all pull in the same direction with the amount of talent they have, possibly they can be as good as any team without it really being hype.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

He wants a legit checking line it looks like. Not much bite but good hockey sense and speed.

Keefe said Simmonds can jump up there when Hyman jumps up on the top 6 group. There is flexibility there too. It’s going to be a team all the way to the last player on the Taxi squad to keep fresh.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

Saying all the right things.

I love the new look 3rd line, hopefully it lasts.

Haha i like that line too because of the intention of it. Defense! We all know defense is positionally smart hockey. He wants to see some jam from everyone. Building how much fight they have. He skated the hell out of them yesterday ha

 

[The Podium]

Haha i like that line too because of the intention of it. Defense! We all know defense is positionally smart hockey. He wants to see some jam from everyone. Building how much fight they have. He skated the hell out of them yesterday ha

It fixes a lot of this teams issues.

We usually lose the depth battle, now that 3rd line looks solid.

We didnt have a line whose main responsibility is a shutdown role.

We were overworking Matthews and Tavares by depending on them to be the big D and O threat, now they can focus offensively.

It also draws the main competition away from Matthews and Tavares, at least at forward, so they have easier matchups.

 

[Papi 4 Hart]

Putting Rielly on first pair is beyond nonsense. He is a number 3-4 at best. Because he can't defend and pass. With lot of space he will flourish. But in the playoffs things tighten up. And he is useless. Kadri trade was pure suicide. A center with grit and point per game playoff performer gone for nothing. Instead of Rielly. That's on management. People that make such mistakes won't get things right. Prepare for another togh season. Hell, I had more optimism before 07-08 season.

Rielly can't pass?

 

[Wafflewhipper]

It fixes a lot of this teams issues.

We usually lose the depth battle, now that 3rd line looks solid.

We didnt have a line whose main responsibility is a shutdown role.

We were overworking Matthews and Tavares by depending on them to be the big D and O threat, now they can focus offensively.

It also draws the main competition away from Matthews and Tavares, at least at forward, so they have easier matchups.

It’s kind of shaping up and looking like a solid structure coming. Top 9 never worked. We didn’t have even a solid 4th line while that approach was going on. The all skill is great debate is over. You can not win with it predominantly. Fun to watch nonetheless.
A team needs top 6 bottom 6 and very fortunately for us as of now,we can expect some scoring and solid all round play from our bottom 6.
Edmonton won’t be leading the Canadian division. They were better last year than they are today. They can have fun with Barrie because he will not replace Klefbom. He will replace his minutes but he doesn’t hold a candle to Oscar for top shelf defense.
We actually went the other way away from offense better than the Oilers. Our defense looks solid