Somebody thought it was a good idea to re-sign Sheldon Keefe to a multi year contract. I’m not sold on Keefe in Toronto, but hope I’m wrong:
There’s something about his inability to adjust on the fly during the playoffs that drives me insane. He has also had “his guys,” like Justin Holl, play far too much and it has cost the club at the end of the day. Every coach has a shelf life and I was under the impression that his had come and gone once Kyle Dubas departed the organization. Maybe with a different GM he can grow, but I’m skeptical to say the least.
One thing Brad Treliving has done is slightly vary from the depth he is adding:
When Treliving arrived in Toronto he stated that he preferred a “longer” defense. This lead many to believe that he’d target bigger, meaner players on the blueline. Then he added John Klingberg in free agency and confused the bloody hell out of many of us. I know it will take time to mold this team into his version of what the Leafs should be, so I’ll give him time, but it’s his second defensive addition, Simon Benoit, that is closer to what I expected from him from the beginning.
Benoit is a 6’3″ defender that weighs in at 210lbs. He blocks a ton of shots, throws lots of hits, will drop the gloves from time to time and is still just 24 years old. He’s solid depth in my opinion and the only real question I have is if he can make it through waivers so the Leafs can hold onto him, use him as an emergency contact and continue to develop him into a regular NHLer.