Keefe willing to make changes and shake things up if it means playing better team defense
It's no secret that the past couple of games haven't been up to the Leafs standard as far as defensive play goes. Some of that is on the goaltending, which has fallen back to earth somewhat, but a large portion of the blame falls on the Leafs defence corps. Part of the problem is obviously the revolving door of injuries they've faced, but now that the team is approaching full health again, the defensive game that carried them through an incredible November, and most of December, is showing cracks.
The Leafs last 2 games have been the worst defensive games from the team since October. 10 goals against, sure, 2 were empty netters, but it's not a good look for a team that has been rock solid for over a month. Sheldon Keefe has obviously taken notice. In the past, Morgan Rielly and TJ Brodie have eaten up the lion's share of ice time on defence. With both players attempting to shake the rust off, their play hasn't been at the level we are used to. It's not a shock, Rielly hasn't played a game since November 21st. Until the defensive side of things improves, Keefe says he will have to split ice time evenly between all 3 pairs.
From one perspective, this can be looked at as a condemnation of Morgan Reilly's rough return to the lineup. From another, it's a glowing endorsement of Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin, both of whom stepped up in a big way when the Leafs D was decimated by injury. I choose to look at this positively, having a bottom 4 who can play a larger role while Rielly gets his game back together is a benefit to both the team and Rielly himself. It's easy for a team to slip around the holidays, Christmas and New Years are very disruptive to a player's day to day schedule. I have a feeling once the Leafs get through the break and back to their routine, the suffocating defensive game that worked so well for them will come back.
