Former Leaf Defends Sheldon Keefe Amid Criticism
Sheldon Keefe has had a hard time maintaining the support of fans, he has seen a lot of success, but has had a lot of struggles in the postseason.
Sheldon Keefe holds the best points percentage of any coach in the Leafs history. Yet, some decisions that he has made after the trade deadline have gathered negative attention with fans and the media.
Fans are mad at Keefe
Keefe holds a steady amount of rotation with the forwards and the defense groups, which has resulted in his players having trouble developing with their linemates.
This has resulted in the Leafs seeing a lot of success for a few games, and then losing a few games, this could negatively affect them in the playoffs, specifically it can cost them home ice in round 1.
The Lightning are currently 3 points behind the Leafs. The Leafs are facing some rather easy opponents for the rest of the season, which tells fans that the Leafs should get home ice.
However, Keefe's continuous experimentation with lines and changing the roster has been quite unpopular with fans, who believe he should just use the optimal lines.
During TSN1050's First Up, former Leafs defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo defended Keefe, he explained why Keefe is experimenting.
He also wanted to stress the fact that Keefe is doing a good job and is simply keeping the bigger imagine in his mind.
Carlo Colaiacovo explained that Keefe doing everything in his power to help the team achieve their goal of winning the Stanley Cup. Even if his methods are not popular with fans.
-Carlo Colaiacovo on Sheldon Keefe doing his job the right way, even if it means taking some heat in the short term
It is not easy to manage 14 forwards who are capable of playing with 9 defensmen who are just as capable. Finding the best lines is not as easy as looking at the statistics, you also have to watch how different players play together. Part of this involves finding out some lines do not work.
Sheldon Keefe is doing the right thing by experimenting to get the lines just right for round 1. If it involves a few losses, including a 7-2 loss to the Islanders, it is better to see them lose now, in the regular season. Hopefully this experimentation helps Keefe find the best lines for round 1.
As seen on Maple Leafs Daily -
Former Leaf comes to the defense of Sheldon Keefe amid heavy criticism
| POLL | ||
Do you think Sheldon Keefe is a good coach? | ||
| Yes | 91 | 59.1 % |
| No | 63 | 40.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
