Leafs GM Brad Treliving appears to have made a decision regarding the future of Sheldon Keefe in Toronto
Without making an official announcement, Brad Treliving has apparently made his decision regarding Sheldon Keefe. According to TSN's Darren Dreger Treliving and Sheldon Keefe have begun the process to replace former assistant coach Spencer Carbery after he accepted the head coaching position in Washington.
Given the fact that Keefe is heavily involved in the process, it would appear as though he will be returning as the Leafs' head coach next season. If he wasn't, why would Treliving have him involved in the interview process for a new assistant? Dreger also reported that there is no extension in place yet, but those talks are scheduled to take place shortly, so Keefe may end up returning for not just next season, but beyond.
After coaching the Leafs to their first playoff series victory in 19 years, many fans called for Keefe to be fired because of the team's poor performance against Florida in round 2. Prior to Kyle Dubas being fired, we had reported that a coaching change was on the cusp of becoming a reality. However, once Treliving was brought in, everything changed. When Treliving was named the Leafs' GM, he referred to Keefe as, "a very good coach" and that he wanted to get to know Keefe before making any decisions. Not only does keeping Keefe give Treliving an "out" if things go sideways for the Leafs to start the season, but it did not seem that the Leafs believed there was a better coach out there.
Among active coaches, Keefe has the second best points percentage behind only Jay Woodcroft of Edmonton, who has coached two less seasons than Keefe. Keefe is ahead of the likes of Jim Montgomery, Rod Brind'Amour, Jon Cooper and Bruce Cassidy in this regard.
Yes, there is work to be done in the playoffs, but with the pressure of not being able to win a first round series gone, Keefe and the Leafs should feel much less pressure next time around. Hopefully it yields better results than what we experienced this year - though winning a round did feel pretty good after so many years of losing.
