Sheldon Keefe discussed Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten making the Team Canada WJC team, Noah Gregor earning his opportunity up the lineup in Matthew Knies’ absence, and Timothy Liljegren nearing a return from injury.

Sheldon Keefe on Fraser Minten and Easton Cowan’s selection to the Team Canada World Junior team: Sheldon Keefe talked about Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten making the Team Canada WJC team, Noah Gregor getting a chance to play up front in Matthew Knies’ absence, and Timothy Liljegren getting close to returning from injury ahead of Thursday’s game against the Blue Jackets. “Both guys had tremendous camps and earned a lot of respect in and around our room and organization… A great opportunity for them.”

How hard is it to oversee when an influenza bug is going through the room?

Keefe: Everyone seems to go through it. This is the season that it happens. It appears to have occurred throughout the league as well. We simply need to deal with it as best we can.

We are doing everything we can to manage it, including our medical personnel, trainers, and equipment personnel. We have to deal with it.

Compared to recent norms, Morgan Rielly saw less time on the ice against the Rangers. Was that simply an attempt to control the defense?

Keefe: I believe that’s one reason there are seven guys there. You can share the minutes more effectively. We believe that the other guys have successfully gained a little bit more trust. That is important for it.

It was likewise a one after the other, so any time you go into a game like that, the objective is to attempt to hold everyone’s minutes down. The game beginnings, hockey occurs, and it doesn’t necessarily in all cases figure out how you would have preferred it to.

You are attempting to bring them down a little bit going into it, not just with Morgan but with all of our top-minute guys as well. We were able to avoid having to sift through our best players thanks to the game’s conclusion last night.

How encouraging is it that Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten were selected for Team Canada? What’s the significance here for the Leafs pushing ahead?

Keefe: It is a fantastic opportunity for the players themselves. This tournament is fantastic. In terms of best-on-best, it is sort of the pinnacle of junior hockey.

The stakes are high, right? It’s the stakes, the tension, addressing your nation, meeting up… all players are, generally, top players in their groups, however presently they come in and need to track down a job and do unexpected things in comparison to they are most likely requested to do on their own groups.

Those are the kinds of things, in my opinion, that really aid in the growth of top-tier players. All of this is necessary to become a pro: Most of the time, you don’t immediately get the same job as in junior hockey. Things have to be sort of worked out in stages.

For these reasons, a chance to play in an event like that can really help a player grow, but it’s just a great opportunity for them. I don’t think it has at least something to do with us.

Yesterday, I sent them a note with my best wishes and congratulations. Simply go out, be yourself, and have fun. As the nation will, we will undoubtedly support not only them but also the entire team.

What stood apart to you most about Cowan and Minten when they were here?

Keefe: Their serious nature. They are both skilled men who set out with confidence to make a difference and are fiercely competitive. They both appear to have a lot of self-assurance.

While their games are definitely different, they are both confident in who they are. When it comes to taking in everything, they are wonderful, humble individuals.

I had a wonderful time with them. Minten played for us in games during the regular season, but both of them had great camps and gained a lot of respect in our room and organization.

They deserve credit for the job they did, but they should also be commended for not allowing it to result in them returning to junior football and being too big for their boots or something along those lines. They were just themselves, and they are good players. They seem to have continued where they left off.

We are amped up for them.

You have come to trust Noah Gregor. Over the first quarter of the season, what information have you gathered about him?

Keefe: He has made the most of every shift he has worked. His speed poses a significant threat. Guys who are able to skate like that on both sides of the puck can do so much. He has done an excellent job for us on the penalty kill.

We have been essentially solid on forward throughout the season. He hasn’t had much room for wiggle room or movement there. With Bertuzzi, Knies, and Robertson, those folks have worked really hard. On the right, you’ll find Marner, Nylander, and Jarnkrok. It has been hard to get him more since you are attempting to get different folks rolling notwithstanding. They are deserving of their time.

You want to reward a man who has put in a lot of effort when things happen and there is a chance. He has not voiced his displeasure or inquired. He simply accepts each shift and day as it comes. That’s what you respect and you want that as a mentor when you are attempting to construct a group and keep the group moving.

I believe that moving everyone around makes more sense for us when there is opportunity for those who deserve it. Give him that opportunity, and let him take it.

When how about Timothy Liljegren get once more into a game?

Keefe: He is near. I believe that he is in a pretty good health situation. It just comes down to maintaining his conditioning and getting him ready for the game.

I’m not sure when we last practiced here. It has been well over a week. Because of this, he hasn’t been able to really build himself up and feel confident enough to go into a game. Yet, he is getting truly close.

What are the indications of when Auston Matthews is feeling it on a given evening?

Keefe: how much he moves his legs, how much he moves the puck to the middle of the ice, how much he plays on the attack, and how much he shoots the puck. Getting out of our zone, passing through the neutral zone, entering the offensive zone, and attacking the net are all actions that occur prior to a shot. He can then either work toward the next play or the next area to get the puck back and shoot again to begin the process, or he can earn the puck back.

It seems to put a lot of pressure on the opposition. He, his teammates, and the entire team benefit from it. I simply find it gets the resistance behind them undeniably more. That, in my opinion, is the essence of driving play and being an elite player. The objectives and all the other things is all perfect, yet it comes as a component of that cycle I’m discussing.

Additionally, it really positions our game for success in terms of winning a shift and putting the opposition on their heels. From there, you should build, right? The following group presents a favorable circumstance to continue, followed by the following line and the following line. In the end, that’s what you’re trying to build, and your top employees need to really drive it.