Or he is going to sit in the press box.

Leafs have t had a player like that since Bryan Marchment ?

He might sit for a few games to get up to speed like Brooks but Sheldon Keefe is a big fan of Marchmant. He was a big part of some of the winning Marlies teams coached by Keefe. He is exactly the type of player that the Leafs have been missing in the playoffs the last few years against the Bruins.

I would personally rather have Gauthier come out of the lineup rather than Timashov, I think Marchment provides the same size as Gauthier but with way more physicality and presence. I think it would become a 4 man rotation though.

Marchment hasn't had the greatest season with the Marlies so far and has only just became fully healthy, so I wouldn't count on him sticking around this time around. Probably sits in the box for a day or two, gets sent back down, and comes back up at the next injury

24 year old forwards who haven't played a game in the NHL......it's usually because they aren't NHL good enough. Now he might bring the elements suggested, but often these type of players aren't NHL good to the speed of the NHL game. Good luck to Mason in his NHL journey.

The only reason I could see him in the lineup is to even things out.

Players like Foligno taking liberties on Dermott with dirty hits. Not sure how the leafs can try to get even. Dermott goes out next shift with a clean hit and serves less than 2min.

What i see Keefe doing is calling up those youngsters to train with big bois and get a feeling how to transit into big league......going down the next day

Personally, I've always defended Goat, as he has come a long way in terms of skating and picking up the pace. His ability to win faceoffs are a big advantage for him to stay in the lineup, though I would like to see him become more physical.

Timashov, though not big, has heart and is second on the team in Hits with about 11-12 games less than everyone else. His energy, combined with Marchment's size and physicality plus Spezza's leadership would make quite an exciting 4th line when they develop.some chemistry.

This is the Leafs dilemma.. Not so much the hit by Foligno, but the Leafs seem to be called for an high numbers of penalties called against them for non fractions.

I guess the Leafs can get even by winning the games. This year again I see Tom Wilson running players (not against the Leafs) and the other teams response is fight the very tough Wilson. I think that is wrong approach. Non fighters like Carlsson or Backstrom should be cracked in the face. If necessary take a run at the stars of the other teams, don't response to the tough guys.

By the way, are you coming around to my way of thinking? See, Nylander can be a good player and worth is contract

You are spot on about going after stars or younger players. It is exactly what other teams do to us.

Not sure who that last pArt was for. I’ve always liked nylander.

Oh, I knew it was one of us who wanted to trade Nylander this summer due to non value contract. . Yes, I know you have been big supporter of Nylander. It was me who wanted him traded. The light bulb has seemed to click in his head. He's doing more "right" things in the past two months. Really been a very good NHL forward.
You and I have had conflicting ideas over Nylander's value in the past. If he keeps up this play, your analysis was definitely correct.

He has been a bit of a hot and cold player. Sometimes he does almost look disinterested. He is highly skilled but still a kid. I think the skill masks the fact of how young he was and how much growing he still had to do. I still think he has a lot of room to grow. He is a smart player not a hard player. That comes across as lazy sometimes.

It's a different way of coaching but it makes a lot of sense. Get into a few practices, go back down have some good games get called up again and maybe get in a game or two. Getting guys comfortable is always a wise plan.

I also think that people get swayed by the rhetoric on sites like this one and then you get people looking for reasons to be angry with him. The same thing is happening to Rielly this year. He was hurt at the beginning and I think that slowed him down a little and many decided he was terrible defensively which he isn't and now they just look for reasons to support their new opinion. That's the world we live in, most people don't want truth they want validation for their opinions and only look for that. Nylander is a terrific player, and he's really turning it on. Wouldn't surprise me at all if he finishes the season with 70+ points and 30+ goals. He's going to the net more, he's back checking harder than ever and I think success is driving him for more.

Nylander plays a European style of hockey. Don’t get me wrong, I love a rough North American style of hockey but if you look right past all of nylander talent and only see a soft player you’re just ignorant.

I completely agree about Rielly. He has a ton of fire in his own end. Certainly not bad defensively.

If he wasn’t so snake bitten and shooting his average percentage he would have 15 goals and no one would be complaining.

Sort of like someone else last season... hmmm... maybe these two players have some similar critics...

This is going to come off as I hate Rielly and really, I don't. Infact if we were to do his draft again, Rielly likely goes first or second in that draft. ( /shrug maybe some people will call me a homer for saying that who cares)

My point kind of is that if he's really dealing with some nagging injury..then the Leafs should have sat him out a game or two. It's not cool to continually use the injury excuse to explain bad defense or mental mistakes.
Early in the season maybe the Leafs could have sat him so he can recover abit from whatever he's dealing with but now as we head into the second half of the season, that decision is almost impossible to make.

Maybe Rielly does need a better partner but until that happens, just better play in D zone is required.

Which he has. With Barrie that pair tilts the ice heavily in their favour. Some people just don't want to see it. As I mentioned above, we live in an age where most people seem to look for validation of opinion than truth. Rielly is not terrible defensively. He's beyond above average. To some, possibly yourself, unless he's the single greatest defensive player, all you'll notice is mistakes because when that happens it reinforces the opinion. It's the same thing with Nylander he can back check hard all game, make a tonne of little plays to start break outs and cycle downlow in the offensive zone like a beast but once a game if he gets caught at the end of the shift and is gassed, that's all some will see.

I am waiting for Keefe to pair Holl with Reilly which would be a perfect defensive partner for him.

Why? Because many people think putting a puck mover with a stay at home guy is the only way to make things work? No Rielly needs a positionally smart, and fast partner. I am waiting for the day him and Liljegren become a pair. That is the perfect partner for him.

I guess you are saying that Hainsey was not a good defensive partner for Reilly. I feel Reilly needs a partner who hangs back and plays defense when Reilly rushes the puck as a 4th forward which is really his strength. He is also a little bit of weaker in the defensive zone so he needs a strong defensive partner.

Reilly is actually below average defensively. A Toronto writer for the Athletic wrote an article about how incredible it is that reilly brings so much value even though he isn't good defensively. He doesn't pass the eye test or advanced analytics from a defensive standpoint, but Im sure you'll disagree with that even though its a fact. Reilly is elite offensively, but he is a liability in his own end.

I wouldn’t call him a liability. He plays well and hard in his own end. Just average I would say.

I think Holl and Rielly would pair well. Holl certainly has no issues with puck movement or joining the rush. He is very good in the Dzone too. Barrie is not.

He was terrible. It's amazing Rielly did as well has he did with Hainsey. He carried him for a season and a half. Rielly has had one good partner in the past 3 years and it's Barrie.

I think Barrie under Keefe's system is very effective. Just protect the slot and get the puck up the ice. It's simple and effective.