Keefe appears to have made a questionable roster decision ahead of what should be a tumultuous game against the Jets
After a ''chippy'' game against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, the game seemed to be a perfect precursor to what should be an equally chaotic game against the Winnipeg Jets.
We all recall the infamous Neal Pionk knee-on-knee to Rasmus Sandin last season, the retaliatory run that Jason Spezza took at Pionk and the very heated rivalry that the Leafs and Jets have formed in recent years. That's why having a guy like Wayne Simmonds on the roster is helpful for the Buds, to act as a bit of a deterrent. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear as though that particular deterrent will play tonight as Simmonds was skating in extras grey on Thursday morning.
Per a report from Sportsnet's Luke Fox, the Leafs had Simmonds and defenseman Conor Timmins skating as extras on Thursday at the game-day skate, which may indicate that neither will dress against the Jets.
Obviously, the Leafs still have a number of players who are willing to step in and answer the bell if needed, such as Mark Giordano, Zach Aston-Reese and Dryden Hunt, as well as Michael Bunting willing to muck it up after the whistle. Perhaps this is Keefe's idea of seeing how the Leafs handle themselves without a pure enforcer in the lineup to take out the garbage. Either way, the decision is a questionable one, as we know just how greasy this Jets team can be.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 19 | 4 ANSWERS Keefe appears to have made a questionable roster decision ahead of what should be a tumultuous game against the Jets Should Keefe have dressed Simmonds against the Jets? | ||
| Yes, absolutely | 2 | 50 % |
| No, not necessarily | 2 | 50 % |
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