Leafs fans scratching their heads after veteran forward benching
After last night's 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe did not mince words to the media about how he hated his team's performance. Heading into a second game of a back-to-back, the Leafs played the Washington Capitals and many could not help notice that Tyler Bertuzzi was benched before the game even started.
It was reported by David Alter from Sports Illustrated that Bertuzzi was on the bench but had not played a single shift into the first period.
In Bertuzzi's case, his season with the Maple Leafs has not gone well whatsoever. Many fans had hoped he would be a playoff animal that he was with the Bruins last year and potentially translate to a 20 to 30 goal season while giving the Leafs toughness an edge along the boards that they have been lacking for many years.
Up until now Bertuzzi has been struggling mightily and had yet to find his game under Keefe's watch.
It's unclear why this decision was made as Keefe also made another decision earlier deciding to scratch TJ Brodie after having a rough outing against the Flyers and for most of this season. Throughout his tenure as Maple Leafs head coach, many fans have called him into question into his decision making whether it's on the ice during a game, or off the ice with some of the comments he has made.
This year's edition of the Maple Leafs has not been as consistent and downright awful at times. With the questionable goaltending, and a poorly constructed defensive unit it's highly unlikely the Leafs will go far in the playoffs as they will be facing either the Bruins or the Florida Panthers both who have given the Maple Leafs playoff demons.
With the second period nearing a close and the Maple Leafs up 3-2, Bertuzzi has played a total of 6 minutes and 12 seconds Well below what a top six winger should be playing.
| POLL | ||
20 MARS | 220 ANSWERS Leafs fans scratching their heads after veteran forward benching Do think Sheldon Keefe is an overatted coach? | ||
| Yes - He cant get it done in the playoffs | 108 | 49.1 % |
| No - I think he's terrible | 41 | 18.6 % |
| Go Bruins | 71 | 32.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
