Sheldon Keefe makes surprising decision on Fraser Minten
Fraser Minten played in his fourth pre-season game last night as the Leafs took on the Detroit Red Wings in Toronto. Minten played just under 13 minutes, registering 2 shots on goal, two hits and winning a ridiculous 78% of his faceoffs. The 2022 second-round pick was not expected to be in camp this long or be forcing the Leafs to potentially make a roster move they weren't planning to make, but he has had a stellar camp so far and could very well have a spot in the Leafs' opening night lineup.
Following the game, Minten was asked how he has felt about all the hockey he has played so far during training camp and responded by saying, "Nothing but a ton of fun, honestly. I have loved every minute of it so far."
During his post-game media availability, Sheldon Keefe spoke very highly of Minten saying, "He was good, just like he's been. He played smart, he competed, he had good pace, good speed on the puck, he did well on faceoffs � probably better than he's done in some other games actually. He did a good job."
Keefe continued by making a surprising decision about the rookie forward.
"The thing with Fraser is he really hasn't taken a step back, at any time. That's really what you're looking for with young guys. So, we'll continue to look at him. He'll be back in on Saturday, and we'll continue to work through it. There'll be decisions."
Prior to last night's game, Keefe really made it seem like it would be Minten's final test. Play well and earn a spot. Play poorly and be sent down. To now pivot after Minten played so well and toss him into yet another high-stakes game is certainly a little surprising, but also understandable.
If the Leafs were to keep Minten in the NHL this year, they'd burn a year of his ELC, so in that sense, it's reasonable for Keefe to want to be 100% positive that it's the right move. If Minten can once again bring his A-game tomorrow night and impress the coaching staff, they'll quickly run out of reasons why he shouldn't start the season with the big club and we could very well see the 19-year-old in the NHL well ahead of the original expectation.
