Friday Five: On Sheldon Keefe, under-the-radar targets, and more
Breaking down concerns about Sheldon Keefe's lack of depth production and undervalued off-season targets.
Follow along on Twitter @ToddCordell | @InfernalAccess
It’s time for another edition of the Friday Five, where I answer five questions from Infernal Access readers.
From Sheldon Keefe’s teams consistently lacking depth scoring, to under-the-radar targets on the trade market and in free agency, you guys brought the heat this week.
Let’s get into it.
Q: During Keefe’s tenure in Toronto, one of the recurring problems (according to their fans/media) was depth scoring. Since that problem seems to have come with him to NJ, do you think his system has been causing the issue, or is it consistently bad roster construction from both teams?
I think roster construction, and how Keefe deployed players as a result, had a lot to do with it.
He consistently spoonfed Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares with offensive zone draws. Each of them had offensive zone start percentages above 62% over his three full seasons behind the bench with Kyle Dubas as GM.
That meant the likes of David Kampf, Ilya Mikheyev, Pierre Engvall, and Pontus Holmberg were hammered with defensive zone draws and relied upon not to allow goals rather than score them. Understandably so – they’re not exactly dynamic weapons.
The Maple Leafs have also lacked high-end puck movers and offensive defensemen for years, which made it harder to transition to offense – especially when the big guns were constantly getting the easier minutes and already starting in the OZ.
It felt like for years more analytically inclined people wanted the Leafs to add scoring at the deadline, yet they often prioritized defense and playoff-type guys like Nick Foligno. Ryan O’Reilly was the one real swing they took up front.
Brad Treliving predictably took an old school approach, feeding Keefe the likes of Joel Edmundson, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Connor Dewar the one trade deadline they were together.
Then Keefe comes to New Jersey at the same time Tom Fitzgerald shifts away from speed and skill and focuses more on gritty forwards and defensive defensemen.
The Devils actually had a few solid players in the middle/bottom-6 this year – a full season of Cody Glass, Arseny Gritsyuk, Connor Brown, etc. – and they were among the team’s most reliable 5v5 contributors.
For me, Keefe lacked quality offensive pieces – and dynamic defensemen – in Toronto, and then joined the Devils as they went through somewhat of a philosophy change away from offense.
I think Keefe will do well, and the depth scoring will be more prominent, with Sunny Mehta at the helm.
If that’s not the case, he’ll be gone.
Q: How would you feel about acquiring Hellebuyck? Cost, how it will impact our chances to acquire a top 6 guy, how do we manage the cap, what to do with Markstrom, etc.
