Insider identifies the frontrunners to replace Sheldon Keefe

After yet another premature end to the season, for the underachieving Leafs, it was obvious that changes needed to be made. Matthews, Nylander, and Rielly are all signed long-term, and Marner and Tavares have full No-Movement Clauses built into their contracts. Tinkering around the edges has proven to be a fruitless endeavour, so that left a coaching change as the quickest and most effective way to shake things up.

Keefe has been a very successful regular season coach, but has failed repeatedly when it matters most. The most glaring indictment, in my opinion, is the Leafs' abysmal home record in the playoffs. Keefe has repeatedly failed to use last change on home ice to his advantage, something that has cost the Leafs dearly over the past few seasons. It's time for a new voice in the room.

Speaking on TSN's That's Hockey, Darren Dreger revealed that he expected news of Keefe's dismissal to break before the Leaf's front office meets with the media on Friday. That news came down on Thursday morning.

In Keefe's place, Craig Berube is Dreger's frontrunner. He's a Stanley Cup winning coach and most importantly, he knows a thing or two about beating Boston in a Game 7. If the Leafs miss out on Berube, Dreger expects Todd McLellan or Gerard Gallant to be among the candidates for the now vacant coaching job in Toronto.