The Toronto Maple Leafs have to fire Sheldon Keefe.
Though there are recent rumblings that the Toronto Maple Leafs will extend their head coach and stick with him despite changing GMs, that is a terrible idea.
As the NHL Stanley Cup Final is underway involving the Florida Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights, one clear comparison between the two teams getting them to this point has been the man behind the bench.
Both Paul Maurice and Bruce Cassidy entered the 2022-23 season in their first year as Head Coaches of their respective clubs, a profession often viewed as a revolving door.
According to Sports-Reference.com as of 2018, the average length of a NHL coaches tenure is listed at 2.6 years, something the Golden Knights would be in line with, having three coaches in the franchise’s six whole years of existence. So why does this apply to the Toronto Maple Leafs you might ask?
Toronto Maple Leafs Extending Sheldon Keefe A Non-Option
Per a recent report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Toronto Maple Leafs and their new General Manager Brad Treliving have been discussing what the future holds for their bench boss Sheldon Keefe, with a contract extension being mentioned if he were to return.
During his introductory press conference, Treliving was wishy-washy about Keefe’s future, leaving all possibilities open, making it clear Keefe could be back or let go, crediting him for his success with the team in the process.
With the Leafs seemingly leaning towards bringing him back with a new contract, it’s hard not to look at the situation as a mistake and here’s why.
As successful as Keefe has been in the regular season, posting back-to-back 50-win, 110+ point seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team has yet to achieve their potential in the postseason, losing to the lesser competition along the way
. As the betting favorite in every playoff series since Keefe took over for former Head Coach Mike Babcock, the 42-year-old has posted a 1-4 record along the way, losing to two eighth-seeded teams in the 2020-21 Montreal Canadiens, who they blew a 3-1 series lead against, and this year’s Florida Panthers, who narrowly missed the postseason, along the way.
Not only does Keefe’s inability to get it done for the Toronto Maple Leafs point to an obvious reason for a change to occur, but the NHL has always been viewed as a “copycat” league, and in this instance, that statement should apply.
Previous NHL coaches have been fired for far less than Keefe, including the Golden Knights’ previous two bench bosses, Gerard Gallant and Pete Deboer, who both took the team to Western Conference Finals, but weren’t viewed as the right man for their respective positions by the NHL’s second newest franchise.
Speaking of Gallant, the man who should be an option for the Leafs if Keefe were let go, was recently fired from the New York Rangers, after spending two seasons with the club and getting them to an Eastern Conference Final in his first season.
Another thing the Toronto Maple Leafs should look into is the idea of the “new coach bump,” which can be proven in several situations to have worked in the past for franchises. Including this year, six of the last nine head coaches in the Stanley Cup Finals since 2018 were listed as interim or hired before the season started, with 2 winning the final when considering 2023.
It’s time for the Leafs to make a tough but correct decision and move off of Sheldon Keefe. The franchise’s coach has been given plenty of chances to get these teams over the hump and hasn’t been able to, getting out-coached in each series, showing he’s been incapable of adjusting and being ready for the moment.
The Leafs need to make a move that every other smart organization would make, move on and hire someone with “been there, done that” experience.
The options are endless and the time is now for hockey’s biggest franchise before it’s too late and the options dry out heading into a make-it-or-break-it year for the Leafs and their players.