After practice on Tuesday, head coach Sheldon Keefe discussed the recall of centerman Pontus Holmberg from the Marlies, the team’s middling 4-4-2 start, the heat the team is facing in the market, and Matt Murray’s progress toward a return.
Practice Lines – November 1
Lines at Leafs practice
Bunting – Matthews – Marner
Kerfoot – Tavares – Nylander
Engvall – Holmberg – Jarnkrok
Aston-Reese – Kampf – Malgin
Robertson, Aube-KubelRielly – Mete
Brodie – Holl
Giordano – Sandin
Kral – LiljegrenSamsonov
Kallgren @TSN_Edge pic.twitter.com/nuZEvDDWQ7— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) November 1, 2022
What was your message to the group today?
Keefe: Just that it’s nice to be home. The calendar turns to November. We have a fresh opportunity to get back on home ice and a chance to get better in practice today. Let’s get to work.
How surprising is it that the team is where it is 10 games in?
Keefe: It is surprising. The expectations I had for the team and everyone has for themselves is a lot higher than what we have performed like to date. That said, it is 10 games. We have lots of hockey left to play. Let’s just focus on tomorrow.
What is the key for the team to turn it around and start piling up wins?
Keefe: There are a lot of areas of our game that we can improve on. In fact, when you talk about our starts and the results that we have had, I think the points we have been able to accumulate to this point probably are even more than I would expect based on how we have played, frankly. That speaks to the ability and talent that we have as a group.
My focus, solely, is just to get our team to play better. An area we can improve on the most is how connected we are and how we execute as a group coming out of our zone, getting through the neutral zone, and getting on the attack from there.
I thought we were well on our way to that in Anaheim just in terms of our play with the puck. Our first period, especially the first 10 minutes, was really representative of what I think we can look like. We weren’t able to sustain that, but certainly, it’s what we want to get to tomorrow.
Is that why you had a back-to-basics practice with a focus on outlet passes and forward cycling?
Keefe: That is really it. From the skills development side of things, it is just sort of our approach anyway before we lead into practice. It is, in a lot of ways, our lead-in or warm-up to practice. We like to get right to it.
There are a lot of fundamentals that we are not executing at a high level right now — some of the things that we expect to be really good in. It’s as simple as breaking out, being available for one another, and being responsible for your touch and your pass. That was really the emphasis of the day: be good in that area, and get us on the attack.
When you sat Mitch Marner for a shift, what was the message you were trying to get across? Is there a risk when you do that sort of thing or public discipline?
Keefe: As a coach, you make a lot of decisions as you go through the game. Sometimes, you are trying to send a message to the player. Sometimes, you are trying to send a message to the entire team. Each situation is different.
I thought, at that time, I was already looking for a way to get Denis Malgin an extra shift here or there. That was an easy way to let Mitch have some time to kind of process things knowing full well that you are going to get him right back to it.
These decisions are made all the time with a lot of our players. It is not the first time for Mitch and really not a big deal.
Did you have any problem with him leaving the bench to smash a stick in that situation?
Keefe: No. Guys have to have outlets and do what they need to do as they are working through things. You have to have guys ready when the game begins. Mitch was. I have no issues with any of that sort of stuff.
The best thing for us: Today is a new day and a new month. We got through the first 10-game segment here, and we’ll get back to work tomorrow. It was a good day of practice today. The guys’ energy was good, which is the thing you are most concerned about at this time of year with what you are going through coming back from the road trip — how it went, how long it was, the time change, and all of those kinds of things.
The energy of the group was very good today. That gives me even more confidence going into tomorrow.
When things aren’t going well, a lot of the attention is naturally on the coach. With a frustrated fan base and a frustrated city, those are the kinds of things that are being said right now. Do you feel like you should be facing some of those questions?
Keefe: The only thing I feel about it is that I have a job to do with the team. My job is to prepare the group for tomorrow and have a good day today. That is absolutely my focus: to focus on my team, playing better as a group, and getting prepared for the Philadelphia Flyers. That is really it. We talked about it and focused on it today.
What is the thinking behind Pontus Holmberg coming into the big club?
Keefe: We were really excited about the camp that he had. With the numbers and the cap and things, we didn’t have the space for him coming in. We wanted to try some different guys in the middle.
Obviously, we have tried different people throughout that road trip at center ice. We liked the idea of having a natural center coming in. He had a really good camp for us. We like a lot of things about him.
He has gone down to the Marlies, and all reports are that he has been excellent for him there. He is not a guy who scores at a high rate, but he does a lot of things that contribute to winning. We are happy to have him.
How is Matt Murray progressing? He was back on the ice.
Keefe: He is progressing well. It is part of his plan. Today was the day that was scheduled. He has met and stayed on that schedule. From that end of it, I think he is doing well. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him — and he wasn’t on the trip — but I know that was the plan. It seems things have gone well there. He will just continue his process. I think he is still quite a ways away.
