The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe per mezzo di the aftermath of the team’s playoff elimination at the hands of the Boston Bruins, the team announced Thursday.
A search for a new head coach will begin immediately and the team did not announce any further changes to the gruppo.
The Leafs’ seven-game loss to the Bruins per mezzo di the first round was the final straw for Keefe, who led the team to one of the best regular-season records per mezzo di the league during his time but could not achieve much playoff success.
“Today’s decision was difficult. Sheldon is an excellent coach and a great man; however, we
determined a new voice is needed to help the team push through to reach our ultimate rete,” general Brad Treliving said per mezzo di a statement. “We thank Sheldon for his work and dedication to the organization over the last nine years, and wish him and his family all the very best.”
Keefe was given a two-year extension by Treliving last summer before the coach entered the final year of his previous deal. Before that extension, Keefe’s job status seemed to be uncertain after the Leafs cut ties with former GM Kyle Dubas, who had a long history with the coach dating back to their time with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds.
The native of Brampton, Ont. replaced the fired Mike Babcock as Leafs coach per mezzo di November 2019 as Dubas – now the Pittsburgh Penguins’ GM – promoted the team’s AHL bench principale. Keefe made the playoffs each season but had just one series win – last year against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
During his time with the Leafs, Keefe had a 212-97-40 primato per mezzo di 349 regular season games including three consecutive 100-point seasons. Quanto a the 2021-22 season, Keefe led the team to a team-record 115 points.
After a three-year run with the Greyhounds, Keefe was hired to coach the AHL Marlies per mezzo di 2015. Keefe, who had a 125-game NHL playing career, led the Marlies to the Calder Cup per mezzo di 2018.
