The Leafs need another centre with Tavares out of the mix for the time being. So I think he’s just another really good, smart, versatile player that maybe doesn’t have one thing that really pops, but he’s really good at a lot of things and you can do a lot with that as a coach and as a team.” He’s got really good habits and details away from the puck. When the puck hits his stick he makes a good, hard, crisp pass. “Plays hard but also has a good skill set. “He’s right there and in the mix,” Keefe went on, lauding Holmberg’s smarts and reliability. Holmberg first caught Keefe’s eye at the prospect tournament in Traverse City just before camp. 29, had four points in six games with the Marlies last season. He injured his left shoulder over the weekend, though, and hasn’t practised since. The Leafs were intent on giving Adam Gaudette a serious opportunity at camp, starting him on a line with Tavares and Mitch Marner. So we want to continue to work with him on that.” “It’s just a matter of whether he can translate that into impacting the game positively. We don’t question that at all,” Keefe said. It’s early, but Robertson hasn’t made a slam-dunk case just yet that he’s ready to play in the NHL full time. But maybe Nylander rejoins Kampf, a connection Keefe explored quite a bit during the second half last season.Īt practice on Tuesday afternoon, Keefe had Kerfoot centering Jarnkrok and another roster hopeful, Nick Robertson. If, for instance, Denis Malgin keeps humming along with this level of determination, to go with a fairly high degree of skill, maybe he lands a spot on the second line? Can the Leafs get away with playing Malgin, Kerfoot, and Nylander together? Probably not. It’s also possible that others demand a spot with their play and force Keefe to keep juggling the group that inevitably starts the season. If Jarnkrok and Kerfoot are both needed higher in the lineup, as seems likely, Aston-Reese is the most suitable of all the options to join David Kampf on the quicksand line (aka the line that Keefe buries in the defensive zone). Tavares’ injury might well lock up a spot for Zach Aston-Reese. The Leafs are also dealing with uncertainty up front as it relates to Pierre Engvall, who’s missed the start of camp with a foot injury. He’s played every forward position in his long NHL career, including centre at times last season. It’s yet another reminder of why Keefe is such of fan of Kerfoot and his versatility.Īnother option in the 2C hole with Tavares out is Calle Jarnkrok. We’ll see how the depth of our group comes together and that itself might determine the way we use him.” “Alex, to me, is a guy that can do different things for our team. “Obviously with John being out, we’ll look closer at keeping him there,” Keefe said. They liked the look of it in preseason action over the weekend and stuck with it early this week. “We thought maybe by this point we might go away from it,” Keefe said. The Leafs, it seemed, were interested in seeing how their lineup might shake out with Kerfoot joining Matthews, Tavares, and David Kampf in the middle. He started camp this fall at centre, however. The three-week timeline would mean Tavares misses Toronto's season opener Oct. John Tavares (oblique strain) will miss the next three weeks, Maple Leafs bench boss Sheldon Keefe said. Kerfoot spent most of last season otherwise on the wing. The likeliest answer is Alex Kerfoot, who took spins in that spot during the first three games last season when Matthews was still recovering from offseason wrist surgery. The first question, of course, is who replaces Tavares in the middle of the Leafs second line. “You’re not going to replace John, but it does create extra opportunity for us to look at others and others to step up and take advantage of that opportunity.” “It does alter the plan for sure,” Keefe said. And because of that, the roster will require even more shuffling in the coming weeks, with one more job up for grabs at camp.
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