Young Leafs defenseman could be headed back to the press box as a healthy scratch after an awful game against Buffalo
Sheldon Keefe has remained steadfast in his attempt to make an 11 forward, 7 defender lineup work for the Leafs, going 11F/7D again last night against the Buffalo Sabres. Over the last couple of weeks, the Leafs have experienced some mixed results, going 2-2-0 when icing 11F/7D.
A part of the reason why Keefe continues to go with the unorthodox 11/7 setup is because of the glut of NHL defensemen the Leafs have on the roster. With Morgan Rielly, T.J. Brodie, Jake McCabe, Justin Holl, Mark Giordano, Timothy Liljegren, Luke Schenn, Erik Gustafsson and Conor Timmins all currently with the NHL club, rolling 7 defensemen every game will allow Keefe to keep everyone involved and help the new guys build chemistry with one another and the rest of the team. It also allows them some time to become accustomed to the system in Toronto.
This setup does not come without its complications though. From the coach's perspective, he has to ensure that ice time is being distributed as evenly as possible, based on a defenseman's skill set, matchup capabilities and how they're performing. From a player's perspective, the competition is stiff, meaning that one stumble can mean a trip to the press box. Such may be the case with Timothy Liljegren after last night's loss to the Sabres.
Liljegren had an especially rough game, which is not all that common for him. The 23-year-old has been one of the Leafs' most consistent defenders this season, but on a night where he managed just under 16 minutes of ice time, Liljegren was on the ice for 3 goals against and only 1 goal for. He did manage 2 blocked shots, but was a -1 in the game and did not register a single shot on goal or a single hit.
With so much competition, and Schenn having returned to Toronto after the birth of his third child, it's likely that we see Liljegren back on the healthy scratch list with Schenn coming back in tomorrow against Colorado. The team should be practicing today, so I'm sure we'll have some more clarity on the matter imminently.
| POLL | ||
MARS 14 | 255 ANSWERS Young Leafs defenseman could be headed back to the press box as a healthy scratch after an awful game against Buffalo Should the Leafs healthy scratch Liljegren after a rough outing against Buffalo? | ||
| Yes | 111 | 43.5 % |
| No | 144 | 56.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
