Head coach Sheldon Keefe of the Maple Leaf signs a multi-year contract extension

The Canadian Press · John-Hill Updated on August 30, 2023, at 12:21 PM EDT. Posted on August 30, 2023.
Behind the bench is a hockey coach.
The Toronto Maple Leaf and head coach Sheldon Keefe, pictured above in 2022, inked a multi-year contract extension on Wednesday, the team said. (Getty Images/Zac
As soon as Sheldon Keefe took responsibility for Toronto’s prior playoff failures, he made an immediate impression on incoming Maple Leaf general manager Brad

Keefe will remain the Maple Leaf’s head coach through at least 2025 after agreeing to a two-year contract extension on Wednesday. According to Keefe’s ability to lead others, the new agreement was possible.

Almost two weeks after Toronto’s second-round playoff exit, he joined the team on May 31. “Sheldon was really transparent, honest, and accountable for what’s going on here,” he said. “It’s always necessary, in my opinion, to start with yourself and assess your own work, which Sheldon has done.

“I look at what he does over the course of the summer in terms of connecting with our players, getting their feedback on certain things, and also looking at ways that we can change.”
With his Maple Leaf agreement signed, Matthews says he will only concentrate on winning hockey.
On November 20, 2019, the 42-year-old Keefe was appointed head coach of the Maple Leaf. He succeeded Mike Babcock, who was sacked after the team finished the season with a 9-10-4 record. Since then, Keefe has amassed a 166-71-30 regular-season record and has qualified for the postseason each year.

Toronto hasn’t yet been able to carry over its success into the postseason, though.

In the opening round of the 2022–23 playoffs, the Maple Leaf defeated Tampa Bay in six games, capturing their first postseason series victory since 2004. However, in the following round, Toronto was defeated by the eighth-seeded Florida Panthers.

“Given this team’s regular-season success, it’s reasonable to conclude that things will continue as they are,” he said during a video conference with the media. “But Keefe is exploring and pushing the envelope on ways that we can be better.”

Watch as the Panthers eliminate the Maple Leaf in the second round:

Panthers defeat Maple in series thanks to a game-five overtime winner from a cousin.
Nine months prior
1:49 in length
Game four saw Florida defeat Toronto 3-2 thanks to a goal by Nick Cousins in the first extra period, ending the Maple’s series 4-1.
In June 2015, Keefe became the head coach of the Toronto Maples, a minor league team affiliated with the NHL that played for portions of five seasons, leading the team to a 199-89-22-9 record in 319 regular-season games.

They won the Austin Matthews Kilpatrick Trophy as the AHL regular season winner twice during that time, and in 2018, they earned their first-ever Calder Cup championship. Under Keefe’s leadership, the team went on to make four straight playoff berths and finished with a 38-21 postseason record.

“Coaching this team has been a great privilege, and I’m truly excited at the opportunity to continue building towards our ultimate goal,” Keefe said in a statement. “We have so many great players and people within our organization that I’m grateful to work with, and together, our commitment to team success remains steadfast.”

The GM claims that the players approved of the extension.
Another important off-season deal signed was the four-year, $53 million US extension for star center Auston Matthews last week. also signed Keefe to an extension.

“A lot of people may speculate that the reason [the Keefe deal is] done is the noise; they believe that a manager’s constant goal is to get rid of distractions.

“But I want to be clear: this gets done because I really think we’ve got a good coach here, and his record in the regular season has proved it.”

stated that Keefe’s contract extension was decided upon following discussions with multiple players, which may be challenging for a new general manager who is still getting to know his staff.

It’s not a popularity contest, but you can tell when a coach has affected them personally and when they think their team has benefited from the coach. They are shoved.” One of the things that the players told me time and time again is that, insofar as they feel like they’ve improved as a team, they won’t necessarily go to bat for their friend.

“There’s uncomfortable times, at certain times, because he’s demanding and he expects a lot; he pushes these guys, but there’s a real trust factor from what I’ve gathered from the players.”

On September 24, the Maple take on the Senators in Ottawa to kick off their preseason. On October 11, Toronto will play host to the rival Montreal Canadiens in the regular-season opener.