Leafs explain decision to call up Holmberg instead of the red-hot Nick Robertson
On Friday afternoon, we saw the Toronto Maple Leafs send defenseman Simon Benoit down to the AHL's Toronto Marlies, with the Buds opting to recall forward Pontus Holmberg and have the Swedish winger join the team on their road trip.
The move was a bit surprising, as Nicholas Robertson has started his AHL season on fire, producing 5 points in just 2 games for the Marlies and appeared to be the frontrunner for the first call-up. Holmberg has notched just 1 goal and 1 assist through his first 2 games, so there's certainly a bit of a contrast there.
When asked about the decision to call up Holmberg on Friday, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe had this to say:
Tyler Bertuzzi was originally dealing with an issue that Keefe and company had thought might hinder him and force him to the sidelines for at least a couple of games. However, Bertuzzi confirmed on Friday that he's feeling much better and expects to play in Tampa.
Keefe had plenty to say regarding Holmberg's training camp and how he sort of tapered off during the second half of last season. However, he appears to have liked what he's seen from Holmberg with the Marlies through 2 games and believes he's ready for another look at the NHL level.
Also, the emergence of guys like Minten, Cowan, and those kinds of players � for a lot of the camp, they outplayed him, quite frankly. Now you are giving those young guys opportunities that maybe he would've had. That is part of it as well: recognizing that this is a difficult league to play in and a difficult team to make.
Last season, he got off to a tremendous first half for us and hit a wall in the second half. The consistency is really what it is about, but we like a lot about the player."
It appears as though Fraser Minten will be the odd man out tonight and will watch this one from the press box, with David Kampf shifting up to the 3rd line to skate between Max Domi and Calle Jarnkrok. Holmberg is expected to play between the speedy Noah Gregor and veteran enforcer Ryan Reaves.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 21 | 144 ANSWERS Leafs explain decision to call up Holmberg instead of the red-hot Nick Robertson Did the Leafs call up the wrong player from the Marlies? | ||
| Yes, Robertson deserved to be called up | 68 | 47.2 % |
| No, Holmberg deserves it | 55 | 38.2 % |
| Not sure yet | 21 | 14.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
