The Toronto Maple Leafs fired coach Sheldon Keefe days after the team lost their first-round series to the Boston Bruins in seven games.
“Today’s decision was difficult,” Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said in a statement. “Sheldon is an excellent coach and a great man; however, we have determined that a new voice is needed to help the team move forward and achieve our ultimate goal. We thank Sheldon for his hard work and dedication to the organization over the past nine years and wish him and his family all the best.”
When it comes to Keefe’s team – Guy Boucher, Dean Chynoweth, Manny Malholtra, Mike van Ryn and Curtis Sanford – the team says “decisions regarding the remainder of the coaching staff will be followed.”
Keefe took over as head coach of the Maple Leafs in November 2019, when he replaced Mike Babcock. Over parts of five seasons, he led the team to a 212-97-40 record, which includes three consecutive 100-point seasons.
Keefe’s two-year contract extension, which he signed last summer following the hiring of general manager Brad Treliving, has not yet taken effect.
Postseason problems
While the team enjoyed success in the regular season under Keefe, it was in the postseason that they fell short.
The Maple Leafs’ first-round woes have long been documented, with the franchise having advanced to the second round just once since 2004. That time, 2022-23, came with Keefe at the helm. But three first-round exits – all in seven games – plus a qualifying round loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs increased the pressure on management to make a change.
The Maple Leafs are tied for the longest active playoff streak in the NHL at eight seasons, but seven of those eight seasons have seen them exit the playoffs in the first round. After losing 3-1 to the Bruins and forcing a Game 7, they lost 2-1 in overtime in the deciding game.
Another early round defeat meant changes were coming, likely starting with the head coach.
“We’re in the results business here,” Keefe said after Monday’s Game 7 loss to the Bruins. “We didn’t get results. We didn’t live up to expectations. As head coach, I take responsibility for that… My job as head coach is to find solutions and chart a path forward for the group to move forward and be successful at the most important time of the year. We didn’t do that.”
Who will the Maple Leafs turn to?
Treliving will now be able to hire its own head coach after inheriting Keefe from former general manager Kyle Dubas.
Keefe was a first-time NHL head coach when he was hired. If Treliving is looking for experience in the role, he could look to the likes of Craig Berube, who won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019; Gerard Gallant, who coached 17 seasons in the NHL with four teams; and Todd McLellan, who was most recently on the bench for the Los Angeles Kings and has 19 seasons of coaching experience in the league.
If a fresh face is the path the Maple Leafs want to take again, the University of Denver’s David Carle has led the Pioneers to two of the last three NCAA men’s titles and guided the U.S. men’s national junior team to gold at the World Junior Championships in January.
