Analyst still not buying that Sheldon Keefe is safe in Toronto
Midway through the summer, we finally got word from Leafs GM Brad Treliving that Sheldon Keefe would be back behind the bench this season. Treliving even had Keefe involved in interviewing new assistant coaches, eventually settling on Mike Van Ryn and Guy Boucher. However, one analyst is still not sold on the idea that Keefe's job is safe.
Jack Han, who was actually employed by the Leafs as an analyst and an AHL coach, is of the mindset that while Keefe's job may seem safe at the moment, he may be out of work by Christmas.
With the Leafs having already brought in Ryan Reaves, John Klingberg, Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi, there's still some work to be done following Ilya Samsonov's arbitration hearing yesterday. Once his award is known, the Leafs will have to get to work to clear some cap space. There's also the ongoing Matthews and Nylander negotiations to consider, as well as Treliving's inclination to add another defenseman. With all of this going on, Treliving hasn't prioritized an extension for his coach, which might be telling.
Yes, Treliving and Keefe have met on a number of occasions this summer to discuss the future and yes, Keefe revealed this week that he isn't concerned about the delay in his contract negotiations, but if Treliving really wanted to secure a deal to keep his coach in place beyond this season, don't you think he'd have done it while the team was experiencing a bit of a standstill with the Nylander and Matthews deals?
Look, I'm not saying I agree with Han that the Leafs have plans of firing Keefe by Christmas, nor am I saying I think that Keefe's job is secure even without an extension in place. I'm just saying that it seems a little strange that the Leafs haven't made Keefe a priority at all, which could be interpreted a number of different ways.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 22 | 305 ANSWERS Analyst still not buying that Sheldon Keefe is safe in Toronto Do you believe that Keefe will be replaced in Toronto by Christmas? | ||
| Yes | 124 | 40.7 % |
| No | 150 | 49.2 % |
| He'll be extended before the season begins | 31 | 10.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
