"Nylander ?embracing? expanded role
Prior to this preseason, when was the last time William Nylander can recall getting tapped to kill penalties?
?It was during practice in Vancouver [last April], the day after I missed that meeting,? Nylander said Saturday, with a sheepish smile.
Uh, does Nylander think that was a coincidence?
?I don?t know, but it had been a while since I?d done it before that. I couldn?t tell you when.?
Well, Nylander has now killed penalties, as a secondary forward option, in each of his 2021-22 exhibition appearances. Tavares got a PK look Saturday ? something he has not done with any regularity since leaving Long Island. And Keefe is open to giving Auston Matthews some 4-on-5 time, too.
The coach is pleased that the offence-leaning Nylander embraced the expanded role as soon as the idea was broached.
?When I spoke with him about it, he had no doubts and no questions. He was ready go. He's been attentive in the meetings; he's asked questions. So it's been really good,? said Keefe, before adding a qualifier. ?These are the kind of things preseason is for. Once we get rolling here in the regular season, we'll see how it all shakes out.?
Nylander won?t be a primary PK option. But in games when a string of kills are needed or if, say, Mikheyev were to get injured, the staff wants multiple capable options.
?So, we just have this opportunity [in exhibition] to gain that confidence that they can do it, and that the coaches believe in them,? Keefe said.
?That's a really healthy thing for our team.?
https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/5-maple-leafs-notebook-keefe-throws-challenge-travis-dermott/
TO's PK finished 23rd last year, it has been a major weakness for the most part for years, Boston's top line made the Leaf PK look nonexistent years ago yet Boston's PK which featured Bergeron and Krejci easily handled TO's PP. Why was that, TO has always liked to use marginal NHLers to PK, 4th/3rd liners, PKing is a special team function and needs to have some special players defending to meet the challenge. Mitch is a good PKer because he can control the puck, disrupt the other team's flow, move the puck out of TO's zone basically use his innate hockey IQ which is severely lacking in marginal NHLers.
The biggest argument against using Nylander, AM, JT, etc. types of players has been has traditionally been shot blocking but blocking shots simply means the puck remains in the d zone, getting the puck out and keeping it out is the purest and best defense.
I'm looking forward to this change.
Prior to this preseason, when was the last time William Nylander can recall getting tapped to kill penalties?
?It was during practice in Vancouver [last April], the day after I missed that meeting,? Nylander said Saturday, with a sheepish smile.
Uh, does Nylander think that was a coincidence?
?I don?t know, but it had been a while since I?d done it before that. I couldn?t tell you when.?
Well, Nylander has now killed penalties, as a secondary forward option, in each of his 2021-22 exhibition appearances. Tavares got a PK look Saturday ? something he has not done with any regularity since leaving Long Island. And Keefe is open to giving Auston Matthews some 4-on-5 time, too.
The coach is pleased that the offence-leaning Nylander embraced the expanded role as soon as the idea was broached.
?When I spoke with him about it, he had no doubts and no questions. He was ready go. He's been attentive in the meetings; he's asked questions. So it's been really good,? said Keefe, before adding a qualifier. ?These are the kind of things preseason is for. Once we get rolling here in the regular season, we'll see how it all shakes out.?
Nylander won?t be a primary PK option. But in games when a string of kills are needed or if, say, Mikheyev were to get injured, the staff wants multiple capable options.
?So, we just have this opportunity [in exhibition] to gain that confidence that they can do it, and that the coaches believe in them,? Keefe said.
?That's a really healthy thing for our team.?
https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/5-maple-leafs-notebook-keefe-throws-challenge-travis-dermott/
TO's PK finished 23rd last year, it has been a major weakness for the most part for years, Boston's top line made the Leaf PK look nonexistent years ago yet Boston's PK which featured Bergeron and Krejci easily handled TO's PP. Why was that, TO has always liked to use marginal NHLers to PK, 4th/3rd liners, PKing is a special team function and needs to have some special players defending to meet the challenge. Mitch is a good PKer because he can control the puck, disrupt the other team's flow, move the puck out of TO's zone basically use his innate hockey IQ which is severely lacking in marginal NHLers.
The biggest argument against using Nylander, AM, JT, etc. types of players has been has traditionally been shot blocking but blocking shots simply means the puck remains in the d zone, getting the puck out and keeping it out is the purest and best defense.
I'm looking forward to this change.
