With minutes available on the Leafs\u0027 penalty killing units, there\u0027s a chance we see Auston Matthews on the ice in shorthanded situations.
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe is entertaining the idea.
“He’s willing and able to do whatever is asked of him to help the team,” Keefe said. “He’ll get some time through the preseason to get comfortable with that. I expect a number of other players to be competing hard for those minutes on the penalty kill.” With the off-season departures of Alex Kerfoot, Noel Acciari and Ryan O’Reilly, the Leafs need some new forwards to join Mitch Marner and David Kampf on the kill. Among defencemen, Justin Holl’s minutes while shorthanded will have to be replaced after he signed with Detroit.Advertisement 3“When it comes to a player of Auston’s calibre killing penalties, it’s not necessarily about whether he can do it, it’s about how it affects the rest of the team,” Keefe said.
Marner is sharp on the kill and his usage there has not been a detriment to the Leafs at 5-on-5. In total minutes last season, Marner averaged exactly one more than Matthews. Just four seconds separated their average time on the power play, with Matthews playing a shade more than Marner.
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