If he is still throwing lines into a blender and seeing what comes with with a handful of games left, yeah I'll start to get worried.

Until then, he needs to see what he has to work with and try and develop some chemistry with his new guys.

1. these are not the playoff lineups. No ROR. Blend away. Find out who works well with who, how can you spark the boys with a few extra mins here or there. Our position in the postseason as all but locked.
2. It's affecting the players. I would guess there's a balance of positive / negative though. Can't have 2-3 NHL Defensemen in the press box every night. Could question Dubas a much as Keefe in this sense.
3. McCabe is much better than expected.
4. Biggest fall from grace is likely Liljegren. Still a fan. But he's not maintained the same level of consistency.
5. Give me a full game of Gio / Schenn, playing meaningful defensive minutes.

1st period of last nights game I thought Leafs looked good. I understand the final score was awful, but it's also misleading. TOR was as good, if not better, for a good chunk of the game. Yes the wheels fell off. But are we concerned with the final score of games in March? or is it the 60min narrative circling back?
Not that it's ideal, but they're 5-4-1 in their "bad stretch", when right now the outcome barely matters- they know they're the 2 seed.

I get that hes trying to see how things work out, but at some point you've got to have guys starting to play together regularly, its not like the Leafs will find the same linemates on Game 82.

For a team under so much pressure to deliver in the playoffs, this kind of scattergun approach to lines and callups has to stop, and the idea that the team will just gel for Game 1 is crazy.

It does nothing for the young guys and their development for them to be called up and sent down and somebody else to go the next game. Holmberg, Steeves, McMann, etc... get called up for 10-3 games and sent down, another one gets the call next, and by the time the first guy gets called up again, its been 15-20 games. No consistency.

Agreed. I just don't see who this is good for. I certainly don't play in the NHL but I did play AAA hockey and when coaches would run the lines through a blender I could never read the play the same because I constantly had to second-guess my teammate and how they would react. Having consistency allows you to anticipate where your teammates will be. This team added so many players that it needs 10 games to stabilise this and get the new and old leafs comfortable playing together

IMO I would say yeah. Dubas is the best GM in the league and gives all of the tools in the world for Keefe to run wild with and he can't make it work

I don't think it's so much the forwards but getting the Dmen to play "together". Leafs are carrying 9 Dmen...Timmins is the the guy "out" right now. That leaves eight and Schenn and Gustaffson, the new guys have been in and out of the lineup. If anyone that should be sitting due to indifferent play it's Reilly but that ain't going to happen.

You're right.

And I dont even think its close to even see who should be in the lineup.

Give Gustaffson his dues for having a good offensive year on a bad Capitols team, but his defense is poor. Timmins had a magical start here, and hes still learning, but his defense is bad. So I dont even think those two should be in the rotation. Granted, neither can be sent down without going through waivers, but they dont need to play.

It leaves you with Reilly, Brodie, Giordano, Liljegren, Schenn, Holl and McCabe. That is your 7 and that is who should be playing.

Reilly and Liljegren are solid puck rushers, and Giordano/Brodie no slouches offensively. Holl, McCabe and Schenn are there to clear the crease, hit and take the body/win board battles. It shouldn;t take 15 games to figure out who SHOULDN'T even be dressed, it should take 10 games (unless Dubas got these guys without any thought as to whether keefe could fit them in) to see who looks better with who and your pairings should be set.

And even with ROR injured, your 3rd and 4th lines shouldn;t be jumbled one game to the next by this point after the TDL.

I don't know why they didn't trade 1. Nine is too many

They need Timmins for next season and he couldn't be waived with losing him likely. Gustafson, I guess it was even up the roster between Washington and the Leafs. Schenn, the Leafs knew he was going to lose time with the move from the west coast and the birth of his paper. Teams with have a long playoff run probably need 7 or 8 NHL capable Dmen as injuries will happen between TDL and June. I (and Keefe) don't really care who will be the starting six come playoff time, but trying to figure that has been difficult. Liljegren looks good for games, then has bonehead game, Gustaffson isn't really a defensive guy, and Reilly hasn't been good for most of the season.

They do need Timmons for next year and what they are doing with him makes sense. I just don't understand Gus and Schenn being added without losing anyone. I prefer Schenn in the lineup