The Leafs are currently 6th in the Metro division after a 2-2 start. It is a bit early to hit the panic button, but teams like the Senators and Red Wings have shown they may be able to compete for a top three spot this season. With that being said, some fans and former players have noticed that Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe has been relying on his top guys too much. <h3>Versteeg Criticizes Keefe</h3> Former Leaf Kris Versteeg commented on this situation on the JD Bunkis podcast earlier this week. He insists that Keefe is not getting as much out of his depth players as he could be and he's going to wear out his top guys. <q>[Sheldon Keefe does not] trust any of [his] depth to play, and I've been looking at this - it's a recurring theme from last year, the year before... you need to get guys extended, trusted minutes to get them in the game. If you expect Max Domi to score with 11 minutes [on the ice], or Matthew Knies with 10-and-a-half minutes... it's not going to happen and you cannot trust guys to give everything in 10-and-a-half minutes and be offensively relied on. That's something I looked at right away was the ice time. With that type of coaching, if you're going to lay the hammer on the top guys and not find these bottom guys extended minutes and you're going to take that philosophy, again, into the playoffs, it's going to be a hard one to win with.</q> <h3>Depth Players Need A Chance To Perform</h3> Versteeg played in 11 NHL seasons, largely as a depth, middle six forward so he would know what it takes to be successful in that role. Meanwhile, Auston Matthews is averaging over 23 and a half minutes of ice time per game. Mitch Marner is averaging nearly 24. Rielly is averaging just under 23 minutes per game, a more reasonable number for a defenseman. Versteeg's argument is, in part, that these star players are going to be less effective in the playoffs if they are playing 23 minutes a game, particularly the forwards. While top-pair defensemen are often used to a heavy work load, even top line forwards rarely play as much as the Leafs' top line has this season. Furthermore, players like Max Domi, David Kampf, and Calle Jarnkrok cannot be expected to perform to the best of their abilities if they are not given the opportunity to do so. Keefe won't be expecting those guys to score a point per game, but you need your depth players playing well in the playoffs too and giving them a little more ice time in the regular season is a good way of doing that while simultaneously giving the top dogs a rest. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/FAN590/status/1714343475842269643'> </a></blockquote></div> As seen on Maple Leafs Daily: <a href='https://www.mapleleafsdaily.com/nhl-team/toronto-maple-leafs/Former-Leaf-slams-Sheldon-Keefe-for-how-he-is-utilizing-Max-Domi-and-other-depth-players' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Former Leaf slams Sheldon Keefe for how he is utilizing Max Domi and other depth players</a>