“Neither the outcomes nor the expectations were met by us. Keefe had stated earlier this week, “I take responsibility for that as head coach.” After declaring on Thursday that Keefe’s time in Toronto has come to an end, general manager Brad Treliving and the other members of the Maple Leafs brain trust seemed to feel the same way three days later.
In a video message posted on social media on Thursday, Keefe stated, “Leafs Nation, the time has come to say goodbye.” “As a Brampton kid, coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs is a dream come true, and I will always be grateful for that. Being able to lead the Maple Leafs and attempt to please you was an amazing honor.
The Brampton native departs Toronto as one of the industry’s most reputable trainers. Despite the Maple Leafs’ lackluster playoff performance, Keefe’s ability to lead the team to become one of the league’s most successful regular-season teams each year should guarantee he won’t be unemployed for long, especially with the abundance of head coaching jobs available around the league.
Even in his absence, there are still a lot of unanswered questions for the squad he leaves behind.
The blue line will be reconstructed, there will be roster turnover among the peripheral players, and Mitch Marner and John Tavares’ futures may require more extensive surgery. Finding a new leader for this bunch is the first priority after Thursday’s news, as they need to transition from being a regular season powerhouse to a postseason contender.
It’s not always easy to find the ideal solution, the correct voice at the right moment for a given group. Old-school veterans with a stricter attitude, great tacticians who combine skill and structure, and player-friendly leaders who encourage emerging stars are all present. The Maple Leafs would prefer a player who possesses a combination of all these qualities; you can discover instances of that by looking at the teams that are currently in the running for the Stanley Cup.
Let’s look at the contenders that might get the call while Treliving and company make their list and consider their alternatives for what will be a pivotal choice at this juncture in the Matthews Era.
Sheldon Keefe took responsibility for his team’s first-round exit from the playoffs in his farewell speech as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, which was his team’s fourth such exit in eight seasons.
“Neither the outcomes nor the expectations were met by us. Keefe had stated earlier this week, “I take responsibility for that as head coach.” After declaring on Thursday that Keefe’s time in Toronto has come to an end, general manager Brad Treliving and the other members of the Maple Leafs brain trust seemed to feel the same way three days later.
In a video message posted on social media on Thursday, Keefe stated, “Leafs Nation, the time has come to say goodbye.” “As a Brampton kid, coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs is a dream come true, and I will always be grateful for that. Being able to lead the Maple Leafs and attempt to please you was an amazing honor.
The Brampton native departs Toronto as one of the industry’s most reputable trainers. Despite the Maple Leafs’ lackluster playoff performance, Keefe’s ability to lead the team to become one of the league’s most successful regular-season teams each year should guarantee he won’t be unemployed for long, especially with the abundance of head coaching jobs available around the league.
Even in his absence, there are still a lot of unanswered questions for the squad he leaves behind.
The blue line will be reconstructed, there will be roster turnover among the peripheral players, and Mitch Marner and John Tavares’ futures may require more extensive surgery. Finding a new leader for this bunch is the first priority after Thursday’s news, as they need to transition from being a regular season powerhouse to a postseason contender.
It’s not always easy to find the ideal solution, the correct voice at the right moment for a given group. Old-school veterans with a stricter attitude, great tacticians who combine skill and structure, and player-friendly leaders who encourage emerging stars are all present. The Maple Leafs would prefer a player who possesses a combination of all these qualities; you can discover instances of that by looking at the teams that are currently in the running for the Stanley Cup.
Let’s look at the contenders that might get the call while Treliving and company make their list and consider their alternatives for what will be a pivotal choice at this juncture in the Matthews Era.
Craig Berube
Up until now, the entire conversation has centered around one name: Craig Berube. The former coach of the Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues has a regular season record of 281-190-72 and a postseason record of 27-31. Although his teams haven’t exactly been the best, the veteran NHL player does have one notable accomplishment on his coaching resume: a 2019 Stanley Cup victory in Game 7 over the Boston Bruins.
Aside from his experience winning a cup, Berube appears to be the most likely choice to take the helm in Toronto due to his overall approach and demeanor. Following five years under Keefe, who at times looked to be assisting his players in finding a way forward, the team and its supporters seem ready for a change of pace and a coach who will hold players accountable without pandering to the club’s wealthy star players. Above all, this club needs a coach who can change the team’s identity from one that promotes spectacular regular-season success to one that will help them win in the postseason. Berube seems to embody, at the very least, his team’s hallmarks of a rigorous work ethic and a relentless forecheck – qualities that these Maple Leafs have occasionally seemed desperately lacking.
Gerard Gallant
If Berube, who currently has a lot of suitors in the league, doesn’t end up in Toronto, Gerard Gallant is another experienced alternative that is waiting in the wings. Over his tenure with Columbus, Florida, Vegas, and New York, the Summerside, Rhode Island, product had a 369-262-4-70 regular-season record and a 31-29 playoff record.
Gallant led the Golden Knights to a Pacific Division championship and a Stanley Cup Final trip in their first season of play in 2018, so even though he doesn’t have a Cup ring, he does have a Jack Adams Award. In his most recent big-league assignment, Gallant, who adopted Berube’s relentless, on-your-toes style, led the star-studded Rangers—headed by all-world talent Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Adam Fox—to consecutive seasons of 100 points or more.
Todd McLellan
Todd McLellan is undoubtedly a name to mention if Treliving and company are looking for experience. The Melville, Saskatchewan, native has started over 1,000 big-league games as a bench warmer. McLellan completed runs in San Jose, Edmonton, and Los Angeles. He finished the regular season with a 598-412-134 record and the playoffs with a 42-46 record.
His best achievements occurred in San Jose, when he guided the illustrious Sharks, captained by Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, to multiple Pacific Division crowns and trips to the Conference Finals. After helping the Anze Kopitar-led Kings become a playoff fixture once more, he managed the Oilers through the start of the Connor McDavid Era. However, his time in Los Angeles came to an end when the Kings faced McDavid’s Oilers in back-to-back first-round matches. McLellan has almost 20 years of expertise coaching some of the most powerful players in the game, even though he lacks the Cup Final experience that Berube and Gallant do.
Bruce Boudreau
Though he may not be the tough commander the Maple Leafs are searching for, Bruce Boudreau is another well-travelled veteran and among the most seasoned coaches in the history of the team. The Toronto native and former center back led the Capitals under the direction of Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom for parts of five seasons. He then led the Ducks under the direction of Teemu Selanne and Ryan Getzlaf for five seasons. Most recently, he led the Wild for three seasons and the now-dominant Canucks for two seasons.
Boudreau has a long history of success in the regular season, amassing a 617-342-128 regular-season record and a 43-47 playoff record. Only one of the 34 coaches who have coached for more than 1,000 games has a greater winning percentage than Boudreau’s (.581). That coach is Scotty Bowman. His best run at postseason success has been a 2015 Conference Finals appearance with the Getzlaf-led Ducks, but he has generally missed out on it. Nevertheless, like McLellan, the 2008 Jack Adams winner has a wealth of experience mentoring outstanding NHL players and has guided his teams to eight division titles and one President’s Trophy.
Todd McLellan
Todd McLellan is undoubtedly a name to mention if Treliving and company are looking for experience. The Melville, Saskatchewan, native has started over 1,000 big-league games as a bench warmer. McLellan completed runs in San Jose, Edmonton, and Los Angeles. He finished the regular season with a 598-412-134 record and the playoffs with a 42-46 record.
His best achievements occurred in San Jose, when he guided the illustrious Sharks, captained by Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, to multiple Pacific Division crowns and trips to the Conference Finals. After helping the Anze Kopitar-led Kings become a playoff fixture once more, he managed the Oilers through the start of the Connor McDavid Era. However, his time in Los Angeles came to an end when the Kings faced McDavid’s Oilers in back-to-back first-round matches. McLellan has almost 20 years of expertise coaching some of the most powerful players in the game, even though he lacks the Cup Final experience that Berube and Gallant do.
Dean Evason
Dean Evason adopts the same no-nonsense approach, even if he lacks the experience the guys above brag about. After spending portions of five seasons in Minnesota’s bench, Evason concluded with a regular-season record of 147-77-27 and a post-season record of 8-15 before his career came to an end. Evason’s chances of taking over in Toronto are undoubtedly diminished by his four first-round post-season exits from Minnesota. Nevertheless, there’s no denying that the arrival of the Manitoban bench boss in Minnesota increased the bar because of his enthusiasm, which inspired the players and made them into a more resilient opponent than they had previously been.
Perhaps more significantly, Evason’s methods appear to be in line with the complaints leveled at the Maple Leafs over the previous five years: his team achieved success with structure and discipline; he awarded ice time based on performance; he mixed up the ranks in his lineup by putting his lines in a blender; and he encouraged his players to create a winning culture and take the lead. It’s unclear how any of that would work with a team that was significantly richer in pay and talent than the Wild squad he managed, but there’s no doubt it would be a different strategy.
The Longshots: Mike Sullivan, Jon Cooper, and Rod Brind’Amour
The names of three additional veteran alternatives that the Maple Leafs would undoubtedly be interested in are Rod Brind’Amour of Carolina, Mike Sullivan of Pittsburgh, and Jon Cooper of Tampa Bay.
For all three of them, there is currently no reason to think that their present clubs will let them go. Two games into a second-round matchup, Brind’Amour’s Canes are among the favorites to win the Cup, and according to the most recent sources, he is getting close to signing an extension with Carolina. Cooper is still one of the top coaches in the game, and his general manager, Julien BriseBois, recently dismissed the idea that Cooper wouldn’t stay in Tampa Bay. Given that his once-elite Penguins have missed the playoffs for the past two seasons, Sullivan would seem to be the most likely of the three to become available. However, Penguins president and general manager Kyle Dubas has made it clear that he believes Sullivan is still the best candidate for the position, and a shake-up at the assistant coach position appears to be the preferred change.
It’s unlikely that any of these three would emerge as Treliving and the Maple Leafs’ top choice if any of those three circumstances were to alter.
With Brind’Amour, you will have a coach who exudes enthusiasm, is a superb motivator and leader, and has guided a team with a comparable emphasis on great offense to far more remarkable regular season and postseason outcomes. The Maple Leafs have firsthand experience with Cooper’s methods as he leads the talented Lightning through the postseason maze. Cooper is the coach who oversaw the closest thing the league has had to a dynasty in recent years. And in Sullivan, you have perhaps the ideal combination of player-empowering communicator and tough motivator. The former Bruins coach took over an underachieving Penguins team in 2015, quickly demonstrating that he had no problem pushing players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and winning two Cup rings in the process.
Currently, it appears extremely unlikely that Brind’Amour, Cooper, or Sullivan will be acquired; their clubs appear to be equally confident in their ability to command an NHL bench. The Maple Leafs will therefore have to make do with the next best choice and move fast to prevent more of their favorite names from being removed from consideration.
