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New Toronto Maple Leafs Coach Angers Fans with Drastic Auston Matthews Decision
Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach Derek Lalonde took control of practice today and made a grave decision that directly impacts captain Auston Matthews.
Derek Lalonde is the new assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs. After being fired by the Detroit Red Wings, the Leafs figured he would be the perfect addition to the team.
He won a Stanley Cup as an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning, so he has the experience necessary to help get this team over the hump.
As for his role with the team, it is simple. Lalonde is being put in charge of the penalty kill, although he is already making some unpopular decisions.
Derek Lalonde makes big decision involving Auston Matthews
Last season, Auston Matthews was on the penalty kill quite a bit, which cut into his five-on-five ice time. Some even cited this as the reason for his lack of goal-scoring.
Well, don't expect anything different this season. According to reports, Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies will be on the first penalty killing unit.
New Leafs assistant coach Derek Lalonde has been given the task of running the team's penalty kill this season. At practice this morning in Toronto, Matthew Knies and Auston Matthews were spotted together on the first PK forward unit.
If you are a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, you would probably prefer that Matthews gets more ice time at five-on-five.
That said, Matthews showed himself to be an effective penalty killer last season, so it makes sense that Lalonde would want him in that role.
Simply put, the Maple Leafs should focus on being more disciplined this season. That would reduce the need for Matthews to get reps on the penalty kill.
Only time will tell whether or not this role for Matthews results in less production, or if last season truly was an outlier.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 21 | 236 ANSWERS New Toronto Maple Leafs Coach Angers Fans with Drastic Auston Matthews Decision Do you believe Derek Lalonde was a good hire for the Toronto Maple Leafs? | ||
| YES | 158 | 66.9 % |
| NO | 78 | 33.1 % |
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