Why was Sheldon Keefe afraid to bench Mitchell Marner? Here's the inside scoop

A new report emerges confirming that when Sheldon Keefe was head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he was apprehensive about benching Mitchell Marner.

While most NHL stars prefer equal treatment, certain players need special attention.

In Toronto, the roster is full of star players, and a good coach knows not to treat every player the same way. Anyone who has closely followed the Maple Leafs over the years can see that Mitch Marner is more emotionally expressive than Auston Matthews or William Nylander.

Looking back at the past playoffs, Nylander and Matthews were visibly unaffected by Marner's antics on the bench:

Handling players differently is crucial, and Keefe seemed adept at managing it.

He wasn't hesitant to bench Nylander for a few shifts when he was underperforming, but Marner was rarely benched despite his struggles.

Yesterday, Elliotte Friedman mentioned on Leafs Morning Take that Keefe was tougher on Nylander than on Marner because he sensed Marner's sensitivity:

Toronto is unquestionably one of the most demanding NHL markets, and it isn't expected to ease up anytime soon.

With Craig Berube taking over as head coach, Marner should prepare for a tough season if he struggles. Known for extracting peak performance and enforcing accountability, Berube is not expected to go easy on Marner unless management intervenes or Marner is traded.

Was it a mistake for Sheldon Keefe to treat Mitch Marner differently?

Source: Hockey Patrol
Sheldon Keefe was terrified of benching Mitchell Marner: what really happened?

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