Toronto Maple Leafs: Sheldon Keefe Likely Staying Put
It appears that Sheldon Keefe will be remaining with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.
In the last few weeks, Keefe has been mentioned in plenty of rumors. He could of have been a fit for many organizations, but due to the Toronto Marlies success it seems that teams weren’t biting. As you can imagine, Keefe probably didn’t want to do interview during the Marlies’ playoff run. If the Marlies bounced out early, Keefe might be somewhere else right now and not the head coach of the Marlies.
Yesterday, it was reported that the New York Rangers will be bringing David Quinn on board as head coach. Quinn was formerly the head coach of the Boston University Terriers. In the past few seasons, he had the opportunity to coach a great Terriers team including elite prospects like Brady Tkachuk, Jake Oettinger and Dante Fabbro.
Prior to Quinn being hired, there was speculation that Keefe would be a fit for the Rangers. It would have made plenty of sense for Keefe to go to New York. The Rangers are rebuilding after a frustrating season and Keefe would have been coaching a very young team. It would have been a similar coaching environment to one with the Marlies.
Keefe Isn’t Going Anywhere For Now
With the Rangers hiring Quinn, it doesn’t appear as if Keefe will be signing an offer letter anytime soon. The other options included the Dallas Stars and the Carolina Hurricanes, but both teams weren’t waiting around either. The Hurricanes brought Rod Brind’Amour aboard and the Stars hired former University of Denver coach, Jim Montgomery.
While Keefe might not be changing his postal/zip code this off-season, you’d expect that he could take a new job offer next off-season. There are many teams around the NHL who could be looking for a new voice behind the bench.
If the Chicago Blackhawks miss out on the playoffs next year, Joel Quenneville could be on the hot seat. Perhaps Keefe could bring the Blackhawks’ dynasty back to glory days.
Additionally, the Montreal Canadiens could be looking for a new coach. Since Claude Julien returned to Montreal, he hasn’t been able to revive the Habs. Unfortunately for Julien, it’s not entirely his fault. His general manager, Marc Bergevin has done a stellar job of putting a team together. Yes, that is sarcasm. Now, I’m not sure if Keefe can speak french. If not, he might need to purchase a french Rosetta Stone disc.
Lastly, our provincial enemy, the Ottawa Senators could look to make a coaching change. If the Sens don’t rebound, their head coach, Guy Boucher could be packing his bags.
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All-in-all, it’s hard to know for sure which jobs will be available next season. You can definitely expect that Keefe will be a popular commodity no matter where the job is.