Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe hints that he'd have handled the Laine situation differently

While Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella may view benching a player as a tool with which to send a message to a specific player, not all coaches share that same philosophy.

With the news of Tortorella's decision to bench superstar winger and elite sniper Patrik Laine making its way to other NHL coaches, some don't see the merit in shortening your bench by sitting arguably your best player.

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe is one example of a coach who would go about things differently, as he believes that the risk outweighs the possible reward when it comes to benching a player as a punishment, or to send a message.

"It's not something I resort to all that often. Sometimes an in-game benching, while you're sending a message to a certain player, it can also work against the team and its ability to win that particular game. So there's a balance there as well," said Keefe on Monday.

Of course, Columbus did end up winning the contest against the Carolina Hurricanes, thanks to a sensational individual effort by Jack Roslovic, who buried the game-winner in bold fashion by undressing several Canes players in the third period to pull ahead 3-2, and then helping his team to preserve the lead - but who's to say that the Jackets wouldn't have blown the game wide open with Laine continuing to take shifts? After all, he does have 3 goals in his first four games with Columbus.

Either way, I suppose it's six to one, and a half-dozen to the other, as all coaches have their own individual ways of doing things. In Keefe's case, I suppose he looks at scratches and more attention in practice as opposed to benching in-game, while Tortorella is more inclined to deal with things immediately and in the best way in which he determines that the message will be received.

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