After the trade deadline, the Maple Leafs have experimented with a multitude of lineups, and even began resting regular players on the team. With an obvious surplus on the back end, coach Sheldon Keefe has often dressed 7 defenders and still had to healthy scratch one.
With the game against the Florida Panthers tonight, that looks to be the case, but this time, sitting their number one defenceman in Morgan Rielly.
While it's not irregular for Sheldon Keefe to run with a lineup of this sort, what makes the timing of Rielly's scratch more interesting is the comments he gave in an interview recently. In an interview with the Athletic, Rielly shared some doubt in the constant lineup changes the team has seen in recent weeks.
Against a team desperate to solidify their place in the playoffs, the Leafs will attempt to escape Florida with a win, and without using their franchise defender.
