Leafs detractors showing their anti-Leafs bias, ballooning the betting odds of Sheldon Keefe getting fired this year
The Leafs enter an all-important 2022-23 season with much of the same team who has come up short on a number of occasions when games matter most, so it's not surprise that there are many Leafs detractors who are standing on the sidelines waiting for it all to blow up so they can say "I told you so". Well, there is no guarantee that anything will blow up and there are many supporters of this franchise who believe that the best days are ahead rather than far, far behind.
We found out on Monday that the Leafs have not tabled an extension for GM Kyle Dubas, which has many questioning whether or not wholesale changes are coming. Well, anytime mentions Kyle Dubas needing to go, the name Sheldon Keefe is usually not too far behind.
Earlier today, Postmedia National Hockey Writer Michael Traikos shared which coaches' seats are the hottest in the National Hockey League this season. Per online betting platform BetOnline, Keefe is the odds on favourite to be fired this season.
Now, that doesn't necessarily mean anything. After all, Keefe is the recordholder for most wins and most points in a single season. Another factor here is that Keefe's first 82-game season was just last year. Why would a team want to give up on a promising young coach so quickly? Is there a clear cut improvement waiting in the wings to swoop in and take over? Who might that be? The fact of the matter is that it would be silly for the Leafs to make a move for the sake of making a move.
Is Keefe the best coach in franchise history? Well, he's certainly well on his way to holding that title, statistically speaking. However, the truth is that it's far too early to put his name next to the likes of Hap Day, Punch Imlach, Pat Quinn or Pat Burns - but that doesn't mean that he won't get there if given the right amount of runway. All coaches, even the great ones, have a starting point.
In terms of where Keefe is in comparison to some of the league's top active head coaches, his points percentage and win rate is among the top of the class. That's not to say that MLSE won't make changes this season if the team isn't where they want them to be at the halfway point of the season, but it's not near as likely as BetOnline bettors are willing to bet that it is - and if MLSE does make a knee-jerk move to relieve Dubas of his duties, Keefe is proving to be an excellent coach in a very short amount of time and I don't think there's any real guarantee that a new GM will see him any differently than Dubas does now.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 19 | 334 ANSWERS Leafs detractors showing their anti-Leafs bias, ballooning the betting odds of Sheldon Keefe getting fired this year Will the Leafs fire Sheldon Keefe this season? | ||
| Why? There's no reason to | 91 | 27.2 % |
| Yes, if they don't go on a deep run | 97 | 29 % |
| No, that's a stupid idea | 94 | 28.1 % |
| LOL at the haters | 52 | 15.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
