The Toronto Maple Leafs’ summer of change has already gotten underway.
Just days after their Round 1 playoffs exit, the team announced that Sheldon Keefe has been relieved of his head coaching duties and a search for a new coach and the remaining coaching staff will come after that.
This should come as little surprise to anyone as Keefe has been close to the chopping block for a few seasons now. After his end-of-season press conference and the delay in when management would be speaking to the media, this decision seemed inevitable.
Keefe’s coaching career
Keefe’s tenure as Leaf’s head coach can be summarized by outstanding regular-season play that simply never converted in the postseason. Through 349 regular season games, Keefe held a record of 212–97–40 and had three consecutive 100-point seasons. This included a team-record 115-point regular season in 2021–22.
That being said during his time with the Leafs, he only has one playoff series victory to show for it. You need good coaching to get you into the playoffs, but you need an exceptional bench boss to get you through the gauntlet of the postseason.
Keefe leaves the club after being with the organization for years, including five seasons with the Toronto Marlies. That being said, it was time for a new voice behind the bench.
This leaves the door wide open for a variety of coaching candidates to fill the role, with Craig Berube most likely near the top of that list. The search starts now.
2 Comments