Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe very non-committal about the team's plans for Bobby McMann
The Ryan Reaves situation in Toronto has received a lot of media attention over the past couple of weeks as the veteran winger has struggled tremendously this season, owner of a team-worst -11 +/- rating. As a result of his struggles, Reaves was scratched on Saturday, spending the night in the press box, with Marlies forward Bobby McMann being called up to skate as his replacement on the team's 4th line.
Surprisingly, McMann performed amicably in the thrilled 5-2 win over the red hot Vancouver Canucks, notching a pair of assists in a little under 10 minutes of ice time. He was quite obviously more involved than Reaves has been in recent weeks, which bodes well for him moving forward. However, it may not bode as well for Reaves in the long run.
Following the win, Sheldon Keefe was asked about the play of McMann against Vancouver and whether or not McMann would travel with the team to Sweden this week to take part int he Global Series. Keefe was non-committal about what may occur this week, but did mention that the coaching staff and management group would talk about it.
McMann had amassed 3 points in 6 games with the Marlies prior to his call up. Now, with 2 assists in his first game with the Leafs this season, he's certainly giving the coaching staff something to think about. The 4th line hasn't looked that good all season, so I'm sure there will at least be a conversation about whether or not the Leafs would be better off simply moving on from Reaves and rolling with McMann as the team's permanent 4th line winger. It is worth noting, though, that it's only 1 game. McMann will need to show that he can remain impactful over a longer stretch before he'll be considered for the permanent 4th line gig.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 12 | 340 ANSWERS Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe very non-committal about the team's plans for Bobby McMann Who would you rather have on the 4th line moving forward? | ||
| McMann | 254 | 74.7 % |
| Reaves | 46 | 13.5 % |
| Other | 40 | 11.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
