It's been 48 hours since the Toronto Maple Leafs lost another Game 7, yet for some reason Sheldon Keefe is still the head coach of this team...for now.
In five seasons, Sheldon Keefe has been one of the winningest coaches in Toronto Maple Leafs history. He's been as consistent as anyone and has continued to help this team reach the playoffs, year-after-year. In 349 regular season games, Keefe has a 212- 97-40 record, which represents a 0.662 winning percentage.
Although the regular season record is strong, it's his playoff record that continues to cause issues, as Keefe has only reached the Second Round once. It's tough to put all of the blame on Keefe as the core has been the same throughout his tenure, but the fact that he's getting the same result out of the group each year, means that they need a new voice.
I know that coaching is an important factor in hockey, but at the end of the day, a coach is only as good as his players. I find it hilarious that everyone is screaming that the Leafs need to sign Craig Berube and they'll immediately be a different team and win a Stanley Cup. I know that Berube is a Stanley Cup winning coach, but besides that championship season that Jordan Binnington helped him win, he's only reached the Second Round once in eight years.
Why Does Sheldon Keefe Still Have a Job?
It's not like he's a miracle worker that's going to immediately turn this team into something different, but I do believe that change is good and Keefe's time should be over in Toronto, regardless. And, you know what? It almost certainly is.
Not many things could happen to the Leafs that would be more shocking than bring Keefe back for another go.
Keefe was never a Brad Treliving guy, and although he gave him an extension last summer, if Treliving wants to keep his job for another year, I think one of the few bullets he can use, is on Keefe. As mentioned, you can't fire/trade all the players, but you can easily fire the Keefe, which should send a message to the core group.
Who could the Leafs chose? There are so many options, but at this point, the team just needs a new voice.
A new voice is very important, especially a voice that doesn't say "have fun, relax and breathe" when you're talking to grown-men about to play Game 7. If I was Treliving and was in the room for that speech, I would have fired Keefe on the spot and instead, gone coach-less in the biggest game of the season.
Changing the coach is a neccesary move, but if the Toronto Maple Leafs want to have any chance at winning a championship next year, they need to change the players too. They've gone too many years with the same result from the same players and something needs to give this offseason, but it starts with Keefe.