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Keefe will make you be-leaf

November 22, 2019, 2:25 PM ET [101 Comments]
Lucas Neilson
Blogger •Atlantic Division Writer • RSSArchiveCONTACT
A quick farewell to Coach Mike Babcock for his dedicated time in Toronto. He may have lost the team at the end of his reign as the Leafs coach but I assure you he helped each player grow and improve even if the wins didn’t show it to start the season. Babcock certainly had his flaws and they became more and more apparent as his time went on in the blue and white. Thanks for your hard work and dedication to the Leafs and our hungry fan base.

You think the players were happy?

They weren’t happy, they were ecstatic.

I’ve not seen such enthusiasm and such big smiles and excitement from the Maple Leafs bench all season long. Maybe they really are set free. I’ve got to hand it to Frederik Andersen last night as he was on his game in the first period. He shut the door with a few big saves which let the Leafs score the first goal of the game (which they have struggled at all season) and secure the two points. It was a good game by the Leafs who really started to come as one at the start of the second period.

Leafs rookie Pierre Engvall went pure beast mode scoring a short handed breakaway goal through the five-hole. It was a beautiful burst of speed by the 6’5 forward; for a big guy he sure can move! Did anyone see Matthews and the boys celebrating on the bench? It was like a house-league team celebrating. I’ll tell you right now this Leafs team was dying for a new coach, it took me a bit to see it but when it became obvious it stood out like a soar thumb.

If my magic eight ball serves me correctly I’d say it will be Matthews, Barrie, Nylander and Marner who will excel the most without Babcock’s hawk eye lurking over their shoulder. I say that because each of these players has another level of offensive creativity that Babcock was obviously not allowing them to explore.

You know who doesn’t want to play the Leafs? Everyone. This group is about to go on a war path.

Sheldon Keefe is single handily going to turn this around. Not because he’s the best coach in the world, not because he has an ace up his sleeve or the refs in his pocket. But because he’s open to change and he’s one to talk to his teammates and come up with a strategic game plan that works for the team and the player. There is no doubt about it he has some work to do and I’d imagine we wont see the Leafs flying full speed until we get back Mitch “the orchard” Marner back into the lineup. This will give the Leafs some time to work on their game with their new coach. You can bet Marner will still be part of the action as he will want to be on the same page as the boys when he returns the lineup.

Look for the Leafs to change their approach offensively. Instead of getting the puck in deep, grinding it in the corners, behind the net and working the perimeter. The Leafs will be working on getting their scoring chance from a quality spot and then quickly curling back up ice to pickup a guy. They won’t be getting caught deep nearly as often just trying to keep the puck in. Keefe’s Leafs will want to capitalize on the opponent’s giveaways in the neutral zone/at their blue line and that’s where they want to cause some damage. It seems more much logical than keeping two forwards in the corner hoping to come out with the puck and have a lane towards the net.

I’m quite interested to see how Keefe keeps the entire bench happy with ice time. We know Babcock always played all four lines, all game. Which to me is odd considering the Leafs have three players making over 10 million a season; you’d think they would be on the ice more than any other player by quite a fair margin.

Is Barrie about to turn over a new Leaf?

Are the Leafs about to rebound and go on a rampage?

The answer is yes.

Let’s see what kind of damage they can cause on Saturday night versus Nazem Kadri and the Colorado Avalanche.

Thanks for reading, have a great weekend.
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