P.K. Subban calling for Sheldon Keefe's head to roll after awful start for the Leafs
P.K. Subban is a very animated guy, as we often see every time he's in front of a camera. He's also very passionate about hockey. After an NHL career that spanned 13 years, Subban retired from the game and opted to enter the broadcasting sphere, an obvious angle for his post-playing career given his large character.
On Thursday, Subban released a video, which you can watch below, calling for Sheldon Keefe to be fired in Toronto. Why? Well it all boils down to one thing for Subban; Keefe's inability to properly manage his players' ice time.
"How you manage players' ice time is so important, but when is it too much?.. This team is in a position and has a core group that can win a championship. But, I'm sorry - where is the defensive structure? That's all coaching, that's all preparation, that's getting guys to buy in. If you are practicing it and you are preaching it and you can't get players to buy in, that's a completely separate issue, so all fingers go back to the coaching. More importantly, it's too much ice time. Auston Matthews averaging 21:30 per game. Mitch Marner is [above] 21 minutes. The only star player on that team that isn't above 20 minutes is John Tavares."
Subban went on to use the Vegas Golden Knights as a prime example of what can happen when a coach properly manages his team's ice time. He also used Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin as prime examples of players whose career average is below the 21 minute mark, emphasizing that both players have won at least one championship.
"It's time for Sheldon Keefe to go, it's time to get this team defensively structured properly and get guys to buy into playing winning hockey."
Subban himself is from Toronto, so he understands the importance of what it would mean for the Leafs to win a Stanley Cup. He knows what type of pressure exists within the City of Toronto. Just because he wasn't a Leaf doesn't mean he doesn't understand.
The Leafs have choked several times under Sheldon Keefe, most notably in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when they had a golden ticket in the North Division playoffs. They choked away a 3-1 series lead against the 16th seed Montreal Canadiens and instead of the Leafs having an easy route to the Conference Final, it was the Canadiens who went all the way to not only the Conference Final, but the Stanley Cup Final.
The Leafs, under Keefe, also failed to put up a fight against the Florida Panthers in round 2 this past spring. Keefe has had his chances and if Subban has anything to say about it, Keefe would be packing his bags immediately. This team is too good on paper to not be performing. They're too good not to be a top team. It's time that the group's coaching staff is held accountable, starting with the head coach.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 10 | 447 ANSWERS P.K. Subban calling for Sheldon Keefe's head to roll after awful start for the Leafs Should the Leafs fire Sheldon Keefe and hire a new coach? | ||
| Yes | 274 | 61.3 % |
| No | 96 | 21.5 % |
| He needs some time to turn this season around | 77 | 17.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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