Sheldon Keefe needs to go in Toronto and there's a perfect replacement
Sheldon Keefe's time in Toronto needs to end, and the Maple Leafs may be able to replace him with a solid coach in Rod Brind'Amour.
In no way, shape or form was the effort from the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 4 against the Boston Bruins acceptable. Once again, Sheldon Keefe found himself being stuffed into a metaphorical locker by Bruins coach Jim Montgomery, following suit with what happened in his matchups against Paul Maurice, Jon Cooper and Dom Ducharme in recent years.
The Leafs are now on the brink of elimination down 3-1 in the series, and there's no reason to believe they can come back. At this point, it's obvious that Keefe needs to go. As it turns out, there's a possibility the Leafs could replace him with 2021 Jack Adams Award winner Rod Brind'Amour.
As far fetched as it seems, Don Waddell's Hurricanes may just part ways with "Rod The Bod." As of right now, Brind'Amour is without a contract for next season. Brind'Amour only received a 3-year extension in 2021, and he has already predicted a tough negotiation process for his next deal as he looks to earn what he's worth.
The Hurricanes star bench boss is currently only making $1.8M per season, which places him in the bottom 10 coaches in terms of salary. Reports suggest that Brind'Amour could earn as much as $6M per season from another team if he were to go to market as a UFA coach this summer. If things go south in Brind'Amour's contract talks, the deep-pocketed Leafs could easily offer a handsome salary, maybe enough to draw him away from the team he spent the majority of his NHL career with.
As much as I am ready to see a big change in the Leafs' roster, specifically the core, I do wonder what they would be like with better coaching. The only coaches they've ever had during the Matthews era were the manipulative and cruel Mike Babcock and the inexperienced and unproven Sheldon Keefe. Having a bona-fide, elite coach who's had some deep runs in the playoffs with less talented teams than the current Leafs group is definitely an interesting prospect. If Brind'Amour indeed does become available, in my opinion, the Leafs absolutely need to put forward the best offer they possibly can to secure his services.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 29 | 999 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe needs to go in Toronto and there's a perfect replacement Who would you pick to be the Leafs' new coach if Sheldon Keefe is let go this summer? | ||
| Craig Berube | 176 | 17.6 % |
| Gerard Gallant | 109 | 10.9 % |
| Rod Brind'Amour | 522 | 52.3 % |
| Other | 192 | 19.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
