That blueliner would be none other than Simon Benoit. The 25-year-old has quietly become one of the league's top shutdown defenseman this year. However, since the Leafs acquired more defenseman at the trade deadline, he has repeatedly been a healthy scratch. Today it was confirmed that he will sit again when the team takes on the Carolina Hurricanes.
Many fans have taken to social media to call out Keefe for less than optimal lineup choices. Benoit has been much better defensively than a number of Leafs blueliners, and as such, many fans think he deserves to be in the lineup, even over veterans like TJ Brodie.
These fans have also pointed out that Keefe is shooting himself in the foot. He said he didn't want to scratch Benoit in Montreal, but ultimately that is his decision to make. So why not just let him play? He certainly isn't hurting the team when he's in the lineup.
