The fate of Kyle Dubas and Sheldon Keefe has been announced by Brendan Shanahan
Brendan Shanahan has been the President and Alternate Governor of the Toronto Maple Leafs since 2014 and since that time, the Buds have not experienced the type of success that they had set a course for back then. That said, what we saw from the Leafs in their round one series against the Tampa Bay Lightning was much closer to the type of effort that we've all come to expect and, while the result was not the desired one, there was evidence of improvement.
Shanahan joined GM Kyle Dubas to speak with the media on Tuesday during locker room cleanout day, confirming that both Kyle Dubas and Sheldon Keefe would be back with the team next season.
Of course, that could change if MLSE steps in and relieves Shanahan of his duties, but all signs have pointed to Larry Tanenbaum being in full support of Shanahan's vision and Kyle Dubas' process.
As far as Keefe is concerned, Dubas was asked about the idea of bringing in Stanley Cup winner Barry Trotz to improve behind the bench. Dubas revealed that it is not a move that he has considered and that, in time, Keefe may very well be viewed as one of the league's most elite head coaches and that he is still improving year-over-year himself.
"We've worked together over three levels (OHL, AHL, NHL). We've won once (AHL) and lost others. Our ability to challenge each other and call each other out is key."
-Dubas on his support of Keefe
There's certainly a different feeling surrounding the team this year. They were so close to getting it done and had they converted on one more power play or had the officiating been more well-balanced, we may not even be having these conversations right now. Unfortunately, that's not the way things worked out, but at least the fanbase is more receptive to the idea of running it back with only minor tweaks.
Now we'll just have to be patient and wait for the draft and free agency to see what sort of moves management has in store to try to improve upon what was an already strong Leafs team.
| POLL | ||
MAI 17 | 838 ANSWERS The fate of Kyle Dubas and Sheldon Keefe has been announced by Brendan Shanahan Are the Leafs wise to keep Dubas and Keefe around this summer? | ||
| Yes | 600 | 71.6 % |
| No | 160 | 19.1 % |
| A change was needed, but I'm not mad about it | 78 | 9.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
