Sheldon Keefe admits to a roster controversy forming in Toronto
The Toronto Maple Leafs chose to forego their usual morning skate ahead of last night's game against the New York Rangers for a couple of reasons. The first being that they played Monday on Long Island against the New York Islanders and the second being that they had a few players that came down with illness. At the time, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe noted that there would likely be a few lineup changes depending on who would be well enough to play.
When the lineup was revealed just prior to game time, it was revealed that rookie Matthew Knies would be unavailable due to illness and it allowed Keefe to elevate Noah Gregor to skate alongside Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Gregor wasted no time in making an impact, picking up an assist on Matthews' 20th goal of the season just 4 minutes into the game. Following the game, Keefe was asked about the decision to elevate Gregor to the top line.
"I just think Gregor has played really well for a long period of time now. You are looking for an opportunity for him. I think Knies has done a really good job in that spot as well. Robertson and Bertuzzi on the left side � these guys have all done a really good job, and we have been healthy. There hasn't been a lot of opportunity to really elevate. When we knew Knies was going to be unavailable today, it took me about three seconds to say this was going to be Gregor's opportunity to play more and play with those guys. He has really earned it."
Gregor has performed very well for the Leafs in limited ice time on the fourth line and has been an effective penalty killer all season. As Keefe said, Knies has been good on the top line, but having Gregor on that line last night provided the Leafs with a little more crash and bang, which created more space for Matthews and Nylander. Depending on the health of Knies for Thursday's game, we could see Gregor get another opportunity on the top line.
Having too many good forwards is certainly a good problem to have, but with how well Gregor has played, perhaps burying him on the 4th line isn't the best idea. The problem is, who do you demote to be able to offer him more playing time? We seem to have a bit of a roster controversy brewing here.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 13 | 828 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe admits to a roster controversy forming in Toronto Should Noah Gregor get more opportunity in the top six? | ||
| Yes | 617 | 74.5 % |
| No | 211 | 25.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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