The Leafs finally confirmed it: Sheldon Keefe has been fired as head coach on Thursday morning, after five years working behind the bench in Toronto.
General manager Brad Treliving opened up on this difficult decision in a statement, saying that the organization believes it's time for a new voice to lead the team to their ultimate goal.
Per David Pagnotta:
With the Leafs' disappointing playoffs elimination against the Boston Bruins, many people were waiting to see if the organization would fire Brendan Shanahan, Sheldon Keefe, or both.
It looks like they chose to let Keefe go, despite the great job he did this season. He worked through a lot of challenges and still manage to lead his team to the playoffs.
However, that's where it got more complicated. Even if he managed to force a seventh game despite a 3-1 deficit, and both Auston Matthews and William Nylander missed a few games, it's a league of results. If the Leafs had reached the second round, things could be completely different today. Unfortunately for him, it didn't happen.
He shouldn't struggle to find another job in the League, as he did a consistant job in one of the NHL's toughest markets.
Do you think Sheldon Keefe will work as a head coach in the NHL next season?
POLL | ||
MAI 9 | 1932 ANSWERS Brad Treliving reveals why he fired Sheldon Keefe Do you think Sheldon Keefe will work as a head coach in the NHL next season? | ||
Yes | 1640 | 84.9 % |
No | 292 | 15.1 % |
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