Toronto, Ontario (WGR 550) - After a lack of success in the postseason over the last five years, the Toronto Maple Leafs are making a change behind the bench.
The Maple Leafs announced Thursday morning they have relieved Sheldon Keefe of his duties as head coach in Toronto.
Keefe had spent the last nine seasons in the Toronto organization, starting as head coach of the Maple Leafs' American Hockey League affiliate Toronto Marlies.
After a good deal of success coaching the Marlies, Keefe was a shoo-in to take the reins as head coach of the Maple Leafs during the 2019-20 season when Mike Babcock was relieved of his duties midseason. In his 47 games coached that season, Keefe led the team to a 27-12-5 record.
Over the course of his five seasons with the Maple Leafs, Keefe led Toronto to a combined 212-97-40 record and playoff appearances in all five seasons. However, come playoff time, Keefe was unable to push Toronto over the top with a 16-21 and just one playoff series win in 2023.
This past season, Keefe helped the Maple Leafs to a 46-26-10 record and a third place finish in the Atlantic Division behind the Florida Panthers and their first-round opponent in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Boston Bruins.
In the postseason, Toronto fell behind in their series with the Bruins, 3-1, but eventually battled back to force a Game 7 back in Boston. After taking a 1-0 lead in the third period of Game 7, the Bruins quickly responded to tie the game and force overtime, where David Pastrnak ended the series with the series-winning goal less than two minutes into the extra period.
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According to Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving, the team will look to replace Keefe behind the bench immediately. Decisions regarding the rest of the coaching staff in Toronto will soon follow.
In addition, there could be more changes coming within the Maple Leafs organization, with questions surrounding the future of Team President Brendan Shanahan.
As for Keefe, he took to social media in the moments after his firing to speak directly to "Leafs Nation", thanking them for his time in Toronto.
There is a chance Keefe does not remain on the coaching market long, as TSN NHL insider Pierre LeBrun reports the New Jersey Devils will have interest in, at least, interviewing Keefe as part of their head coaching search.
Other teams currently without a head coach in the NHL includes the San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets. The Los Angeles Kings may be another team searching for a new head coach if they elect to move on from interim head coach Jim Hiller.
