Mr. Keefe, please come on down

What does Sheldon Keefe bring to the Leafs? He is a great young coach who brings in new blood. He is a winner with a proven system. He brings in a more defensive system and will teach the Leafs to be more defence-minded.

The biggest benefit of his system is that it will cut down on the shots on Anderson. Maybe he won't be a worn-out puppy dog by the end of the season. 

The Leafs' game will be less helter-skelter.  There will be less running around in their zone. The defence will get more support from the forwards, who will learn to be more defensively responsible.

The biggest change is that the core will support him. They will buy into his system. He will loosen the reins on the players. Matthews and Marner will have some say in the game.

Keefe talks to the players. There will be more give-and-take with the players.  A load will be taken off of Matthews' shoulders.  He won't constantly be looking over his shoulder to avoid contact. The players will listen and learn from Keefe, who doesn't rule with an iron fist. 

Generally, they will be happier playing hockey again. Less pressured. More freedom equals better results—hopefully.

The Leafs are changing

So the Leafs have lost Marner for six weeks. That is hard enough for them. Now the loss of Kerfoot for an extended time puts the Leafs into a tailspin. Whether you panic or not does not change the reality. 

Matthews and Tavares now have even more prominent roles. They will carry the load for the offence. Tavares has had this kind of role previously; we all know he was the man for years in Long Island. At least this time, he has some help from Matthews. Austin has to continue to be on a mission, and I have never seen him this good. He is showing why the Leafs drafted him. 

His skill with the puck is one of the best in the League. Being one of the fastest pure skaters is a great asset. But his hockey sense might be even more prominent in his repertoire. He is so slick with the puck; he has the defense still looking for their shorts while he is breaking in. 

As for JT, his skill was well manifested last year, scoring in bunches. He must (and will) lead by example, continuing to get the big goal when they need it most. His playmaking skills will be needed more than before. He will have to make sure of his passes, giving his teammates a better to succeed. John has been known to make his linemates around him better and will have to do this more efficiently. He does everything. He has a terrific, accurate shot. Tavares's best skill in Long Island was getting the puck to the sniper. He has not had to do that much in Toronto with Marner taking that role. Now that Marner is injured, JT will have to be the one ditching the puck. 

The secondary scoring will have to exceed expectations. Players like Zach Hayman, Kasperi Kapanen, and Andreas Johnsson have to be ready when called upon them. John Tavares and Austin Matthews's job is to get them scoring chances, and they will. Will the secondary execute on their opportunities? Only time will tell.