Sheldon Keefe identifies one defender who he feels has exceeded all expectations in these playoffs
The Leafs were able to steal one from the Panthers in Florida on Wednesday, but still face the daunting task of winning 3 more games to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals. No easy task, to be sure. Currently down 3-1 in the series, it's hard to see a lot of positives, but one positive for the Leafs for sure has been Luke Schenn.
Schenn was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 3rd round pick and, so far, he has met and exceeded every expectation that the Leafs have had of him. He has given the Leafs strong, meaningful minutes, a nasty, physical presence on the back end and provides a ton of intangibles for the Leafs in terms of experience and leadership - especially in the playoffs.
Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe met with the media following today's morning skate and was asked how he felt about Schenn and whether or not the veteran blueliner has met his personal expectations from a coach to player standpoint so far. Here's what Keefe had to say.
Not only has Schenn formed solid chemistry with Morgan Rielly, he also acts as a bit of a deterrent for shady behaviour from other teams. When Schenn is on the ice, you know that if you do something stupid, "The Human Eraser" is going to take a number and you'll spend the rest of the game looking over your shoulder.
Schenner is also a key player on the Leafs' penalty kill and has been trusted in a number of late-game situations in tight games when the Leafs are trying to preserve the lead. This one from the 3rd period of Game 4 is a prime example:
Hopefully Schenn is feeling sharp tonight, as the Panthers are really going to turn it on in Toronto in an attempt to knock the Leafs off at home. If Schenner and the rest of the D corps are on point and play as solidly as they did in Game 4 though, it might be a long night for the Panthers.
| POLL | ||
MAI 12 | 1419 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe identifies one defender who he feels has exceeded all expectations in these playoffs Will Luke Schenn be a Leaf next season? | ||
| Yes | 1199 | 84.5 % |
| No | 220 | 15.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
