Toronto Maple Leafs Head Coach Gets Called Out Following Statement

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Austin Sabourin
December 30, 2023 (9:39 PM)

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On Saturday night, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe made a surprising decision by benching veteran forward David Kampf against the Carolina Hurricanes.

While not the most significant lineup change, it prompted a notable reaction from former NHL forward Kevin Bieksa during the broadcast of the game.

"It's another excuse we're making for the goaltending," remarked Bieksa on Hockey Night in Canada. "It's another bad goal by Samsonov."

Bieksa was clear in his opinion that Samsonov, the Maple Leafs goaltender, and not Kampf, should bear the blame for a pivotal play against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He argued that Kampf had more than earned the benefit of the doubt.

"You're picking the wrong guy," exclaimed a frustrated Bieksa. "You're picking Kampf, a guy who is your number one defensive center who makes a million great defensive plays on a team with a lot of guys that don't make a lot of great plays with the puck."

Bieksa continued his argument, suggesting that if Keefe wasn't willing to send a strong message by benching a top-six player, then singling out Kampf might not be the right approach.

"How many turnovers have there been tonight? Has the message been sent?" questioned Bieksa. "Or is it just we are gonna pick on this one guy and hopefully everyone else gets in line?"

Bieksa's dissatisfaction with Keefe's decision to bench the veteran forward on Saturday night was evident, raising concerns about the fairness and impact of such decisions on the team's overall performance.

As seen on hockeyfeed