Sheldon Keefe, Toronto Maple Leafs practice
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After Friday’s practice, Sheldon Keefe discussed the call-up of Pontus Holmberg, putting together a line of Max Domi – David Kampf – Calle Jarnkrok, and Tyler Bertuzzi’s adjustment process on the top line.

Practice Lines – Oct. 20

Tyler Bertuzzi was back with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. What have you seen and what have you liked in terms of how their chemistry is developing?

Keefe: I think it is a work in progress for them for sure. Bert is a guy who does a lot of great work below the circles in the offensive zone. That is where he is at his best. There are some other areas of his game where, when playing with Auston and Mitch, it is harder to adjust to the pace and the skill that they play with coming out of our zone.

He has been really effective below the circles, which is what he does and who he is. Auston and Mitch need to consistently get the puck to those areas. I think you’ll see it start to thrive.

What went into the decision to recall Pontus Holmberg?

Keefe: A combination of things. Bertuzzi’s status was one of the reasons, and we just like the player. He is a good player and played a lot of good hockey for us last season.

What was your biggest takeaway from Holmberg’s game from last season?

Keefe: Just learning about his intelligence. He has a good skill set. It seemed like he maybe hit a wall in the second half of the season. To me, it wasn’t the same player that we had earlier in the season. As the league gets harder and harder, most players are going to go through that. I think he did. He should be better for that experience.

What did you make of Holmberg’s camp, and what do you expect from him if his number is called?

Keefe: To be honest, I thought his camp was a little underwhelming after we had come to expect him to be a good player for us last year. In the early part of last season, he was really good and really consistent for us. I don’t think he asserted himself the way we want to see him in training camp.

Also, the emergence of guys like Minten, Cowan, and those kinds of players — for a lot of the camp, they outplayed him, quite frankly. Now you are giving those young guys opportunities that maybe he would’ve had. That is part of it as well: recognizing that this is a difficult league to play in and a difficult team to make.

Last season, he got off to a tremendous first half for us and hit a wall in the second half. The consistency is really what it is about, but we like a lot about the player.

What potential do you see for David Kampf in between Max Domi and Calle Jarnkrok?

Keefe: It looked really good in the short time I used it in different parts of the game yesterday. Today, in practice, it looked really good. I am really intrigued by it.

Kampf had his best game of the early going last night. Getting him into a regular rhythm will help him. It seems like everywhere Jarnkork has been has been one of our best lines. Having those two guys with Max gives us three very experienced players in the league. It should really help us.

How much have you talked to Fraser Minten in between games, and what is your message to him at this point?

Keefe: Just continue to get better. Take every day and every experience as a chance for him to improve and adapt. Stay positive. Have fun. Enjoy it all.

There has been a lot happening in his life since training camp began in Traverse City. First, he has played a lot of hockey from Traverse City through to training camp through to the preseason games and now the early going [of the regular season].

Take care of yourself. Just enjoy everything. Everything for him is gravy. He is here learning and taking it all in. He has done a good job.

Are there any team-wide principles you emphasize after a couple of games where the scoring was down?

Keefe: We want to produce more. We had some really good looks yesterday that didn’t fall for us. Part of it is staying with it, not getting frustrated, and all of that.

There are some principles there for us that are important to reinforce. You are going through it, and we are scoring a ton of goals early in the season while giving up too much. You shift your focus and change gears to focus on the defensive side, and last night, it was our best defensive effort by far. Offensively, it becomes more of a challenge.

That is the early going here. You can’t touch on and be great at everything. You have to prioritize your areas, especially with so many new people. We will get there.

I liked a lot about our game yesterday. With a little more luck and a little more execution, if we find a way to get out of that first period down just one instead of two… Those are the little things that make a big difference, and you feel a lot different about your game based on the result.

The process was a lot better last night than it was in the previous three games.

What early returns have you seen from Auston Matthews on the penalty kill?

Keefe: We have liked it. We have some other guys who are new to it as well, and the reps in the zone — defending, having good sticks, the different reads, and taking what is talked about in the meetings to the ice — are all part of it. That will continue to come and grow.

The other part is that he has broken up plays, he has gotten the puck back, and we have killed the penalty through offensive play. Last night was probably the best example of that. He will continue to get better at it.

The biggest thing is that he seems to just really enjoy it. If a player of that calibre is bought in and wants to be a part of it, he will find a way to make it work well.

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