As soon as Sheldon Keefe took responsibility for Toronto’s prior playoff failures, he made an immediate impression on incoming Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving.
Keefe will remain the Maple Leafs’ head coach through at least 2025 after agreeing to a two-year contract extension on Wednesday. According to Treliving, Keefe’s ability to lead others made the new agreement possible.
Almost two weeks after Toronto’s second-round playoff exit, Treliving joined the team on May 31. “Sheldon was really transparent, honest, and accountable for what’s going on here,” Treliving 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, also looking at ways that we can change.”
With his Maple Leafs 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 Leafs. 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 Leafs 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,” Treliving stated during a video conference with media. “But [Keefe is exploring and pushing the envelope on ways that we can be better.”
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