With the Leafs having no playoff success under him, they're getting desperate.
This means that every controversial move he makes gets placed under the microscope, making him need to explain himself.
When he opted to scratch Connor Timmins over the notorious Justin Holl, it was unsurprisingly met with bad press. He explained himself as such:
I didn't intend on having Justin out for too long, first of all. Like I said the other day, his game had slipped a little bit, but he's played a lot of really good hockey... On his worst day, he's a top penalty killer for us.