[united]

The Leafs are about to get a lot more run-and-gun and unconventional.

Sheldon Keefe will leave no stone unturned in the quest for tactical advantages supported by both numbers and the eye test, and couldn't care less what the norm or "the way it's always been done" says. That isn't to say he's all smartest guy in the room when clearly not, like Jay Feaster and John Weisbrod were, but there is no doing things without a defined plan or purpose.

I am really looking forward to this experiment as I've been a huge Keefe admirer for some time based on his work in junior and now the A, but am curious if it translates to the best league in the world - and wow what a city/team to go this route. Whether success or failure it's going to be a spectacle.

You can expect some or all of the below:

Dump-and-change will be strictly frowned upon.

Dump-and-chase won't be outlawed, but will be considered a secondary option and all dumps will be purposeful into pre-defined areas.

Point shots will be the last resort, especially on the power-play, and will be more of the rebound-generating variety rather than trying to pick corners.

Punting out of defensive zone will be heavily discouraged in favor of playing out of defence, as will blind unforced rims around the boards.

The goalie will be pulled early and possibly in some unconventional situations (e.g., down 2 goals but on a powerplay with 15 minutes remaining in the game).

Player usage will be drastically slanted to pre-defined roles based on situation, and top-end player rest will be a very large consideration in one-sided games.

The forecheck will be relentless and high-pressure, supported by pinching defencemen looking to divide the ice into smaller lateral channels.