Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe discusses his decision to roll with a 11F/7D setup
Since Kyle Dubas acquired Jake McCabe, Luke Schenn and Erik Gustafson prior to the trade deadline, Sheldon Keefe has experimented with a variety of different pairings on the back end. Not only has he swapped pairings frequently, but he has also decided to play with only 11 forwards and adding a seventh defenceman to the lineup for the majority of games since. Many fans have voiced their displeasure of this lineup, particularly because Justin Holl, everyone's favourite whipping boy, remains in the lineup.
Today, before the morning skate and as the Leafs prepare to face Buffalo at Scotiabank Arena tonight, Keefe addressed his decision to play with 11 and 7 lately.
"We might discover through this we just might be better at 11 and 7. Look at how things have gone for us as of late, and you can see some of the positives coming out of it. I think it's important we're not just locked in to 12 and 6. While 12 and 6 is the most comfortable situation, it might not be the best one."
The explanation from Keefe, to me at least makes sense. The use of the 11/7 lineup can benefit the Leafs, particularly on the road in the playoffs as it would allow Keefe to get the likes of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares away from certain matchups against players such as Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul giving them more offensive capabilities.
| POLL | ||
MARS 13 | 169 ANSWERS Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe discusses his decision to roll with a 11F/7D setup Should the Leafs continue to roll 11F/7D or go back to 12F/6D? | ||
| 11F/7D seems to be working | 34 | 20.1 % |
| 12F/6D is better | 77 | 45.6 % |
| Don't care, just win | 58 | 34.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
