Keefe's "hunch" on forward lines pays off for Maple Leafs

[LeafsNation75]

Click to read more...

 

[Wafflewhipper]

I think Keefe was being modest. I think he knew the skillsets might just be better changed. Tavares is a great tactician on the ice as seen for years before he ever got to us.

He will lead and plan and plot and teach willy lots of stuff. Willy is no slouch and is better than any winger John ever had on the Islanders and he made them better. Willy will be better off long haul playing there and they have skillsets that pass and shoot and equally good. Kerfoot didn’t take ling reaping rewards either playing with them. Kerfoot should stay there if we want the best out of him

 

[TheProspector]

Keefe is obviously a great hockey mind, but one of the best things about him is his openness to experimentation. Babcock needs to take some magic mushrooms to open up some new synaptic pathways. Keefe is like a child experimenting with the world for the first time. Except that child is the best group of players ever assembled under the TML uniform, and Keefe is a savant.

Probably the single best contribution to the on-ice success of his team so far is also realising when something or someone isn't working -- and pulling the plug. Babcock would just let the same 3-4 guys get f***ing shithammered game after game after game. The mouthbreathers around here would say, "of course he's got a low Corsi, he's up against the strongest competition!" The rest of us then tried to figure out why the coach would repeatedly put these same guys out time and again to get violated by the guys who can do the most damage against you, and probably for the longest icetime.

Keefe sees someone getting filled in? Rest up, fam, someone else will do that job tonight.

 

[LeafsNation75]

I very much like this quote from Keefe about Nylander.

“He's been really good here now,” Keefe said. “Whether it's him just finding his own game and being comfortable, or the switch in the lines and that chemistry there, or the presence of John on his line, [he’s been good]. And his presence on the power play, where I think he's gotten a lot more comfortable with his role that he's playing there [at the net front], which has been a new role for him. All those sort of things seem to be falling into place and he's been excellent.”

 

[Drew311]

Keefe is going to hammer Cassidy in the quarterfinals.

 

[Optimist]

Can this get any better? I'm at the point where I'm counting down the days, hours, and minutes until the next Leafs game. I can't get enough of watching this team. Something special is happening here guys. Strap yourselves in. It's gonna be a fun next few years..

 

[Kingstondude84]

Said this before the best thing the Leafs could have done is gone with a young innovative coach, its about time the Leafs got with the program. Babcock? The more I think about it, Babcock reminds me a lot of Sheldon Cooper....smart in his own way, but also awkard af and has a strong inability to adapt to life.

 

[Optimist]

Babcock regressed his players. Everything that he did was all about him. He couldn't care less if the team won or lost as long as he was in the spotlight and in control. The players hated him. Tough word to use but I can't think of another word that's more fitting.

 

[LeafsNation75]

Babcock regressed his players. Everything that he did was all about him. He couldn't care less if the team won or lost as long as he was in the spotlight and in control. The players hated him. Tough word to use but I can't think of another word that's more fitting.

He also refused to change his thinking like always playing the #2 Goalie on the second night of a back to back. Earlier this season Toronto was playing at home against Columbus on a Monday night and Boston on a Tuesday night. So that meant Andersen got the start against Columbus which they ended up losing in overtime and Hutchinson started in Boston which they lost in regulation. I use that example because Andersen had just won against the Bruins the previous Saturday.

 

[cesareborgia]

I think Keefe was being modest. I think he knew the skillsets might just be better changed. Tavares is a great tactician on the ice as seen for years before he ever got to us.

He will lead and plan and plot and teach willy lots of stuff. Willy is no slouch and is better than any winger John ever had on the Islanders and he made them better. Willy will be better off long haul playing there and they have skillsets that pass and shoot and equally good. Kerfoot didn’t take ling reaping rewards either playing with them. Kerfoot should stay there if we want the best out of him

Now imagine Kadri on that line instead of Kerfoot

 

[TheGroceryStick]

Keefe is obviously a great hockey mind, but one of the best things about him is his openness to experimentation. Babcock needs to take some magic mushrooms to open up some new synaptic pathways. Keefe is like a child experimenting with the world for the first time. Except that child is the best group of players ever assembled under the TML uniform, and Keefe is a savant.

Probably the single best contribution to the on-ice success of his team so far is also realising when something or someone isn't working -- and pulling the plug. Babcock would just let the same 3-4 guys get ****ing ****hammered game after game after game. The mouthbreathers around here would say, "of course he's got a low Corsi, he's up against the strongest competition!" The rest of us then tried to figure out why the coach would repeatedly put these same guys out time and again to get violated by the guys who can do the most damage against you, and probably for the longest icetime.

Keefe sees someone getting filled in? Rest up, fam, someone else will do that job tonight.

Yeah.
And the contrary,
He affords an experiment or new lines enough time to find their groove.

Matthews with Marner was never more than a "see they dont work" (with Babcock) when he threw them out at random times for minimal minutes.

 

[Rogue Leader]

Babcock is the type of kid, who locks his toys in the closet. Keefe shows them to the World and let’s us all enjoy them!!!

 

[kb]

Now imagine Kadri on that line instead of Kerfoot

I can't imagine in in the playoffs. Which is where he'd be truly needed.

 

[Guided by Veseys]

I hate it!
Matthews and Marner are supposed to be in direct competition against each other to see who is more important. If they are on the same line it will be harder to judge.
I guess tho it will be easier to say one is just the product of the other so there is that bonus I guess.

 

[Nylander88]

Now imagine Kadri on that line instead of Kerfoot

I was a huge fan of Kadri's and wish we still had him and his jam. Trying him on the LW would have been a great idea. That said, you can't imagine him there instead of Kerfoot because his cap hit is 1m higher. Unless you also imagine Barrie not beside Rielly and Kivihalme there instead as the roster is right now. Yikes lol

 

[DarkKnight]

Thing I really like, we don't have to protect our two top lines now. When it was Matthews Nylander coach seemed to ride JT Marner more matchup wise, faceoff selection. Now, there seems more latitude in that regard.

 

[Pookie]

Frozenpool fantasy site has a lot of good line info.

Auston Matthews - Fantasy Hockey Game Logs, Advanced Stats and more - Frozen Tools

The most common line for Matthews in the 4th quarter of last season was with Nylander and Johnson.

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

I very much like this quote from Keefe about Nylander.

But... beaches in Sweden and stuff....

Yea no wonder Nylander and Matthews look like they're enjoying hockey again.

 

[moon111]

Outside of being a jerk, Babcock was obsessed with this team's weaknesses to the point he was tearing down their strengths to try and fix it.
This question now becomes is Keefe winning hockey games or winning championships? Think a lot of what he's done is pretty much what
a lot of us would of done. I wonder if Babcock would of? In the past, he was really pushing the defense and failing, then put Kadri with
Marner because he was at the point he did have to win games and the Leafs took off. Think Babcock and everyone knows the Leafs can win
hockey games. Right now, loving Keefe is playing this team to it's strengths, but the true measure will be, can he improve their weaknesses
while doing so? Personally I respond better when my boss isn't a jerk and I think the Leaf's play in their own end has improved.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Now imagine Kadri on that line instead of Kerfoot

Or now Hyman...

Mikheyev Tavares Nylander
__________ Matthews Marner
Engvall Hyman Kapanen
Timashov Gauthier Spezza
Moore Petan

Rielly Barrie
Muzzin Holl
Dermott Liljegren
Sandin Ceci
Marincin

Andersen
___________

Not sure if Hutch is the guy as he is 2-1 under Keefe, but would like to see Kerfoot, Johnsson, Hutch upgraded to a guys like Gorgiev and Krieder.

 

[Durrr]

Saw this on twitter this morning, just said "duh" internally, and moved on. Anyone who has ever watched these two play for a single game should have had a "hunch" that they'd excel together. Marner is an elite playmaker, Matthews as an elite goal scorer, it fits. Just put a more defensively responsible player on the opposite wing to even it out.

To go a step further, Tavares does not historically need an elite playmaker, yet has a history of making linemates much better. Seems like a no brainer that Nylander can excel with him as well.

The only person who didn't have this hunch is our old coach, who is rightfully unemployed.

 

[ACC1224]

Saw this on twitter this morning, just said "duh" internally, and moved on. Anyone who has ever watched these two play for a single game should have had a "hunch" that they'd excel together. Marner is an elite playmaker, Matthews as an elite goal scorer, it fits. Just put a more defensively responsible player on the opposite wing to even it out.

To go a step further, Tavares does not historically need an elite playmaker, yet has a history of making linemates much better. Seems like a no brainer that Nylander can excel with him as well.

The only person who didn't have this hunch is our old coach, who is rightfully unemployed.

Perhaps you have a n extensive ignore list but there were tons of posts in the past stating Matthews and Marner don't work together.
Search Matthews Marner don't work

 

[Durrr]

Perhaps you have a n extensive ignore list but there were tons of posts in the past stating Matthews and Marner don't work together.
Search Matthews Marner don't work

I dont have an ignore list at all, but I saw many of those posts. Any opinion is going to have a mixture of agreement and disagreement, and regardless of the mixture of the opinions, it really had not been attempted enough to form a judgment one way or the other.

 

[Antropovsky]

Now imagine Kadri on that line instead of Kerfoot

Leafs are better long term and short term with the Kerfoot deal.

Leafs are much more balanced this season having Barrie and Kerfoot. Long term Kerfoot makes 1 million less than kadri and is 4 years younger.

This has been a very good trade by Dubas so far IMO.

However I agree that it would have been nice if Babs would've tried Kadri with the top 6 last season... instead of as a 3rd line center. May have even increased Kadri's trade value.

 

[ACC1224]

I dont have an ignore list at all, but I saw many of those posts. Any opinion is going to have a mixture of agreement and disagreement, and regardless of the mixture of the opinions, it really had not been attempted enough to form a judgment one way or the other.

So it wasn't only the coach then?