Is Sheldon Keefe on the hot seat 4 games in?
Sheldon Keefe has produced the two best single seasons in franchise history. He has a record of 118-52-19 in 189 regular season games and a points percentage of .675. Yet, after starting the season 2-2, with both losses coming against the 31st and 32nd ranked teams from last season, the media, or some of its members, are already calling for Keefe to be replaced.
Through four games, his "Core 4" has struggled to capitalize on their chances, particularly the dreadful powerplay, and hasn't eliminated the untimely giveaways late in games. Those have cost them. The Leafs are just 3 for 14 with the man advantage and last night struggled to even get into the Coyotes' zone. It's not for a lack of trying by Keefe, as he hasn't been scared to put his lines in a blender or shorten his bench. It's on the players to respond, especially his elite ones. They're paid the big money to produce at key moments and so far this season, they have been underwhelming.
Personally, I don't believe Keefe is going anywhere unless Kyle Dubas leaves - for now. What people are forgetting is that this is just Keefe's second full season as head coach. His first season, he took over a disjointed Leafs team following Mike Babcock's dismissal in November and his following season was shortened by COVID as well. So, while it may technically be his fourth season, he's only had a full training camp twice. Let's also not forget that there are 4 new forwards and 3 new lines up front that need more than 4 games to get into sync and up to speed. Yes, there is practice but that is entirely different from a game setting when you're talking about building chemistry.
For now, Keefe isn't on the hot seat. I think this is simply a case of new season, new lines and the need for some time to adjust and fine-tune. But should the Leafs go .500 for the next month or two, changes could be coming swiftly.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 18 | 295 ANSWERS Is Sheldon Keefe on the hot seat 4 games in? Does Sheldon Keefe deserve to be on the hot seat after a 2-2-0 start? | ||
| Yes | 122 | 41.4 % |
| No | 96 | 32.5 % |
| Way too early to say | 77 | 26.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
