The Toronto Maple Leafs have done the obvious: they dismissed head coach Sheldon Keefe.
The Toronto Maple Leafs fell in the first round of the NHL Playoffs again this season, and nothing in NHL history has been more expected than the Leafs changing coaches at this juncture.
There are no moving clauses for any of their core players.
The President and General Manager are due to meet with the new CEO of the team’s parent company, indicating that both will return.
This is a catastrophic error that will haunt the team for years and most certainly waste Auston Matthews’ prime years, but what can you do?
Toronto Maple Leafs Fire Sheldon Keefe
The Leafs dismissed Keefe, and it was about time. For many months, I’ve advised that the Leafs replace coaches.
They should have done it last summer, and they probably were going to do it in November when they were down 4-1 to Tampa in what would have been their fifth consecutive loss, but the squad pulled off a miraculous comeback.
The same thing happened when they were down (I believe) 5-0 to Columbus and rallied back to win.
Keefe always seemed to triumph exactly when he appeared to
was going down. He almost pulled it off again, and could have if Joseph Woll hadn’t been hurt.
In the end, Keefe will be remembered as a superb regular-season coach who failed to deliver in the playoffs. He will be hired by another organization and go on to have a successful career.
The Leafs now require a new coach, who should be Bruce Boudreau, but because Brad Treliving is involved, Craig Berube is most likely the candidate.
In my perspective, a team like the Leafs should be more than capable of identifying the next big thing in coaching rather than hiring one of the recycled names that other organizations have dismissed twice, three, or four times.
But, since they’re almost surely going to go with a name, I’d rather they go with Boudreau because he’s recognized for getting the most out of his offensive players.
Boudreau is also highly personable and exactly what the industry requires right now. Berube, fair or not, is recognized as a coach who will lead you to narrow 2-1 triumphs. I don’t think that’s what the Leafs require. The Leafs should embrace their offense and need.
Stop attempting to build a defense-first team comprised of grinders.
The new coach should be someone who will allow Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews go.
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