[Posting this,](https://theathletic.com/5482887/2024/05/10/sheldon-keefe-devils-penguins-kings/) principalement parce que je ne connaissais pas la pépite concernant le pourcentage élevé de PP de Keefe. Il est derrière un paywall, mais j’ai publié le bit Kraken correspondant ici. https://preview.redd.it/vd37clfrbvzc1.png?width=856&format=png&auto=webp&s=0a4e23e73744f8c680cee36701c92fc6274fc510
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First-Radish727
4 Comments
Don’t show them the Leafs playoff PP percentage
« never below 20 percent »
Well i should fuckin hope not. He had the best goal scorer in the league every single year.
Please no.
I really go back and forth on the idea of Keefe to Seattle.
I do think that Keefe probably understands what Toronto’s problems were. If you go watch the Leafs documentary on Prime Video filmed during the COVID season he talks multiple times about the need for the team to score « playoff goals », aka gritty goals from winning battles in front of the net. And the Leafs were a consistently good regular season team that made the playoffs every season. But there’s a difference in knowing the *problem*, knowing the right *solution*, and being able to *implement* the solution.
That said, the reality is that the Leafs under Keefe consistently failed to find offense in the playoffs when it mattered most. They did make significant defensive strides the last few years even in front of shaky goaltending. But offensively they turned into a perimeter team that was unwilling or unable to go to the dirty areas in front of the goal. It kind of reminds me of the Kraken PP in that way.
Keefe was handed a top-heavy roster at forward which gutted the team’s depth in all areas – scoring forwards, defense, and goaltending. Toronto never consistently had a dangerous 3rd line that forced other teams to make tough matchup choices. Instead, opponents could always match against their top 6 and shut them down. They continually doubled-down on their core without ever making a hard choice and moving a big name.
The defense did Toronto no favors, either. Morgan Rielly is a good defenseman but he was regularly their only blueliner who could really drive play and generate offense to support the forwards.
Their goaltending has been up and down but too often down when it mattered most. Ilya Samsonov, Matt Murray, Jack Campbell, Petr Mrazek, Freddy Andersen, James Reimer. These are all either average or bellow average goalies.
So the big question is – how much of the Leafs’ failure is on Keefe alone due to his actions or inactions vs how much is on the players and roster construction? Put another way – if given a better roster, could Keefe have led them to playoff wins?
I’m not saying Keefe is the best guy available, but I would not be reflexively opposed to giving him a shot with the Kraken so long as Francis builds a roster that can deliver of what Keefe couldn’t get out of the Leafs – playoff goals when it counts.