Sheldon Keefe Hints at Major Lineup Shake Up in Press Conference
Maple Leafs' stars Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander, who have been a key factor in the team's success. Nonetheless, the team needs greater contributions from its depth players to provide support for these stars
One player who particularly needs to take his game up a notch is Tyler Bertuzzi.
Sheldon Keefe Makes Major Declaration About Bertuzzi
Sheldon Keefe talked about Bertuzzi's performance in his pre-game interview leading up to tonight's clash against the Colorado Avalanche. He had good things to say about Bertuzzi's line, consisting of William Nylander and John Tavares, which should remain unchanged for the upcoming game.
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"I just think he pairs really well with John. It is another guy who is really strong below the dots. He hangs around the net. The pace of play matches him really well, too, and yet I do feel that Willy is extremely important to that line as well. He is the puck transporter. He can be puck-dominant. All of those guys can be a lot to handle on the inside and in the offensive zone."
However, this could change in the coming days.
Bertuzzi to Be Given Significant Opportunities in the Upcoming Months
So far this season, Bertuzzi has only managed to score18 points, with six goals, in 39 games. This places him eighth among the Leafs' top scorers, trailing behind players like Calle Jarnkrok, Max Domi, and Morgan Rielly. When he joined the team during last summer, many people expected higher numbers from him.
If the Leafs want to make a deep playoff run, they will need a bigger contribution from Bertuzzi.
In an effort to get the bset out of him, Sheldon Keefe announced that Bertuzzi will get opportunities with many players until the end of the season, in order to identify the most effective combinations for him.
"As the season goes along here, we are going to have to move Bert around a little bit more just to see. I think he is a guy who can pair very well with different people."
Do you think Bertuzzi needs to do more for the Maple Leafs?
As seen on Hockey Patrol - Maple Leafs Head Coach Sheldon Keefe reveals one huge lineup change is coming up
| POLL | ||
13 JANVIER | 403 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe Hints at Major Lineup Shake Up in Press Conference Do you think Bertuzzi needs to do more for the Maple Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 346 | 85.9 % |
| No | 57 | 14.1 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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