Sheldon Keefe, Toronto Maple Leafs practice
Advertisement

Ahead of Wednesday’s game in Arizona, Sheldon Keefe discussed Noah Gregor returning to the lineup after a healthy scratch, the shakeup on his middle-six lines, Joseph Woll’s timeline as he joins the Marlies on a conditioning stint, and the challenge against the Coyotes.

Morning Skate Lines – Feb. 21

What do you want to see from Noah Gregor in his return from a healthy scratch? What made you take a step back with him last game?

Keefe: Part of it is him. Part of it is the others around him who have taken steps. Whether it is Reavo, Bobby McMann, Holmberg, or Robertson, these guys have all played well and taken steps. Each of them has responded well when their number wasn’t called and they had to take a step back, miss games, or move around the lineup.

Gregor is one guy for whom that hasn’t been the case. He has consistently been in our group. For me, he hasn’t taken the same kind of steps. He has plateaued a little bit in his play — not just because it has been a long time since he has scored but also the other intangibles of his game that we need to be really good.

It was a chance to take a step back and gain a different perspective on the game, team, and role. It gives him a chance to come out refreshed and ready to go.

Each of the players I mentioned there has dealt with those situations very well. We can even add David Kampf to that list. Sometimes, you can see coming out of the lineup as a negative — which it is — but it is a long season. A chance to disrupt the rhythm a little bit can snap you back into place and then off you go. Bobby McMann, most recently, was a scratch and then all of a sudden, once reinserted, he has found a whole other level to his game.

For Gregor, go out with a renewed mindset.

What is your sense of how Morgan Rielly is handling his time on the sidelines?

Keefe: I think he is making the best of it. He is enjoying himself. He has had some time off. He has gotten some work in. He is happy the team is doing well. He will be excited to get back to it tomorrow.

What have you liked about John Tavares and William Nylander on separate lines since John came back?

Keefe: It is just one game, and quite honestly, I didn’t like a lot of it in terms of how it looked, but I think we owe it a little bit of time. I don’t want it just to be a one-off.

There is enough there; Domi has played well with Willy and with Bert — not necessarily as a trio, but in his time with those guys, he has done well. Whether it is John out or Auston out, Max has played well there.

As I have talked about with a number of other things — whether it is McMann or Bertuzzi on the power play — we’ve got some positive momentum going as a group or with the individuals. You want to try to capitalize on that.

To me, it is a good opportunity to look at some different things. John has taken a bit of a step back in terms of his role on the power play or with different linemates, but at the same time, it is an opportunity to embrace some of our younger guys, bring them along, and support those guys with his leadership.

With Joseph Woll going down to the Marlies on a conditioning stint, what is the target date for him to get into an NHL game?

Keefe: I wouldn’t say we have a target date necessarily other than to say the hope is that he feels good at the end of this week to be able to rejoin our team and get back up to NHL speed, which he has been working his way toward in practice. He will get a couple of Marlies practices in this week with hopes he builds towards playing in a game for them this weekend.

We will take it from there as to whether to give him more time there or bring him back. It is really going to be based on how he feels. Quite honestly, we had a bit of a plan a week ago for him to go down there, spend some time, and build his way back to be prepared to join us on this road trip. He didn’t feel comfortable or ready at that time.

It is really just about how he feels. He will take it day-to-day from there and then make a decision. It is probably more on Joseph at this point than it is on us.

There are a lot of Arizona connections in the organization. Does that present some added energy coming into the game?

Keefe: It does. It hasn’t really manifested in positive things on the ice in the past, but certainly, it is great to be here.

For myself, I have personal connections here and there are a number of others in the organization that have much deeper connections. It is beautiful here. It was a great day yesterday. The sun is shining.

Even coming into this building, it is a nice change. It is different. It is unique to the NHL, but it is also a terrific building. They did an unbelievable job putting this together.

What is the key to beating Coyotes goaltender Karel Vejmelka? He has performed well against the Leafs in the past.

Keefe: It is like any other goalie on any other team. When the puck is not going in for you, you have to stay with it with the things that you know lead to goals. You have to generate chances first, so you have to get to the goalie and make it hard on him with how you are shooting the puck, how you are moving it, and all of those kinds of things.

Really, you focus on the different things you need to do to get to the goalie first, which is the greater challenge.

Why have the Coyotes been such a tough out?

Keefe: Some of it you can’t quite figure. On home ice, I think the Leafs have had a really, really difficult time against the Coyotes, and that goes back more than a decade.

In my time in the league, like any other team in the league, it is a good team. They have good players. They play with lots of skill. We played them in here last year, and they worked as hard or were as competitive, skilled, and structured as any team we played. They came out, and you are not ready for that. It catches you off guard.

I know they are going through a tough stretch right now, but in a number of these games, they have been in them or tied after the second or leading in the third. The game has just gotten away from them.

If you aren’t ready to play, then like every other team in the NHL, they can make you look bad. Especially with this team — the style and types of players that they have — they are so skilled and make so many plays with the puck through the neutral zone and in the offensive zone. If you are not great defensively or don’t take care of the puck, they have it a lot and you are going to be chasing them around.

It is about us getting our game established quickly.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR