Damien Cox: It’s time for the Maple Leafs to fire coach Sheldon Keefe and bring in Bruce Boudreau

[Beneven Stanciano]

I feel like as visibly upset as Keefe can get when the team has their head up their asses, or when he is pissed off in post-game media, it has to be because the team is not listening to him, right? I mean if he is calling the team soft & purposeless or whatever it was, but they were doing exactly what he told them - he would lose the room instantly. I've never had a coach that would do that, I know one guy who said his college coach would scapegoat players like that, and his players called him out in the room finally.

I think he gets frustrated because they probably talk about a game plan and put in the prep work, have a good practice, and then go out and don't execute on anything.

Keefe isn't meek at all. The guy gets pissed at his players, but also respects them. He is also composed enough to keep it behind closed doors most of the time... Which is good and extremely hard to do in a market like ours.

It is a tough balance for a coach because the guy needs to be able to trust his players, and especially his top players and leaders. Every coach does. Our top players and leaders have let us down at times, especially in the playoffs, but also are the ones who are often leading this team to victory as well. They mostly need to just figure out how to be less bipolar. But given their age, he (and Dubas) are trusting them to figure it out. And really, it is on them to figure it out. I doubt they are letting them off the hook, but it is not like they can hold their hands either or they will solve anything by putting unnecessary pressure on them. I am sure Keefe/Dubas realize that they get plenty of that from fans, media, and themselves as it is.

The more fringe guys are consistently held accountable. They are just a lot more rational about it than fans are. They don't want to shoot a player to the moon after one bad game. But he's healthy scratched struggling players... And they've come back performing better. Hasn't done it with the core players as much, but then again, our struggling core players are still better than most other guys on the team...

Gallant has had highs, but also some very low lows which have led him to being fired on 3 separate occasions. Saying he is a guarantee is no different than saying Babcock was a guarantee. It is not like inexperience as an NHL head coach works against you either. Bednar was in his 6th year of his first NHL HC gig (or NHL gig in general) when he won with Colorado. Berube in STL had a brief 1.5 season stint with Philly and mostly being an NHL assistant. Took them from the basement to a Cup after coming in mid-season. Cooper was with Tampa for a while before he won but he is still in his first NHL coaching gig. No prior NHL experience and only 2.5 years of AHL experience too. Mike Sullivan was a HC for Boston for 2 years a decade before getting hired as PIT's HC mid-season, taking them from the basement to winning B2B Cups. Quite frankly, Trotz is the only "experienced" HC to win a Cup since Quenneville in 2015. That is 6 of the last 7 Cups won by "inexperienced" NHL HC's.

Sometimes it takes time, and last year was the first time Keefe ran a proper NHL training camp as an NHL HC. He has been an NHL HC for 3.5 years and people were calling for his head after the MTL loss. Not everything is necessarily perfect with him, but I have seen Cooper and Sullivan make plenty of coaching gaffs too and both won B2B Cups. This isn't a team that needs a new voice in the locker room. If there is a seismic shift on this team, the core is next in the firing line.

i was writing this same post & I happened to scroll up and see your post. Agree with this 100.

 

[hullsy47]

I just like the creativity and effort some put into their excuses.


Has Dubas ever hired a coach other than Keefe?

Dubas has been given more to work with than almost every one of his GM RIVALS
I'm not sure dubss could work on an internal team salary cap
Plus he has access to a very cerebral Haley wickenheiser who IMO has the ear of Brendan Shanahan
If the leafs lose home ice by trade deadline day I'm afraid dubas will be vetoed on trading any future assets

 

[Hellcat]

How many coaches do these players get though? It was a larger issue under Babcock, and still pops up once in a while against weaker teams.

This is the excerpt from the CBJ loss.

On how he explains the team’s effort falling off in the second period:



On whether it was an effort or execution issue:


On the message to the team in the second intermission:



He is right. He rightfully put the heat on the players, because that is squarely where it lies right now. They either play like they don't give a crap, or it is a good night to make the highlight reel. Marner was doing it all night. If he falls apart anywhere, it is the faith he places on his top guys to perform... Something most top coaches will do and are able to count on. He'll bench the Kampf line, but he won't bench Marner's line for making the same mistakes all the time.

Clearly, given we are able to compete and beat top level teams as well as almost anyone in the league. So how bad can he really be at preparing his players? I don't think he is telling his players to "take it easy" just because they are playing CBJ or OTT or MTL or ARI. Especially against OTT and MTL. I don't think he is telling his players to make the dumb mistakes that have cost us in the playoffs. This is a team that literally dominated CBJ for 4 periods straight and then just decided to pack it in. I don't think he told them that in the intermission.

Trotz likely would bench Matthews/Marner if needed. How those guys would respond is anyone's guess. Keefe has already somewhat benched Nylander at times, but Matthews/Marner seem exempt. It should also be noted that while Trotz did bench some of the Nylander-level players on his old teams, he never benched Ovi or anyone like that even if he was playing like crap (according to media, which seems to have a long list of Trotz benchings). Only time he benched Ovi was when he was late to practice one time.

It should be noted that, for the most part, benching guys didn't really make them play better. They were either already playing fairly well, maybe just had a bad game, and went back to playing well... Or they played like crap for an extended period of time and continued to play like crap after getting benched.

I find it funny that anyone thinks Boudreau is an answer though. He has consistently underperformed as a coach and has never won anything. His crowing achievement in like 15+ years as an NHL HC is a Conference Finals loss and a Jack Adams he won in his first year... 15 years ago. He lost Vancouver's locker room after like 40 games as their HC and he is almost 70. Chances are, it is not going to happen for him as an NHL HC.

Those quotes really in a nutshell summarizes the last 5 years. You can take a horse to water but you cant put a fire in his belly that wants to do what they need to do to win a Cup, more than anything in the world. I'm sure all the players want to be Cup champs but that don't want to do what they need to do to win. We got skill in boatloads, we don't have maturity, we don't have hard players to play against, we don't have a coach who is a tactician.

 

[hullsy47]

I think you keep Dubas and can Keefe. there are better Coaching Candidates out there compared t

Bruce Will become out coach. With keefe. Beadrou will coach as an assistant. For life. And be happy as that. He loves us and will help us. Others will be number Uno. Bruce Will guide us and brang that positive attitide. Together these suckas will kill. Totally.

Bet u if Haley wickenheiser was gm Keefe wouldn't allow the crappy games against inferior teams
Best friends as coach and gm work in minor hockey
Not in big business

 

[ACC1224]

As you know how much I would love nothing more to see Keefe fired.

The most ideal time was right after the Habs loss. Gallant was available

Last year it was Cassidy.

If we fire Keefe it has to be for Trotz now

Boudreau can be an assistant if he wants.

I would like to see Dubas go first

All excellent choices, I recall wanting Gallant then as well.

My feeling is Dubas isn't going anywhere, Keefe will be sacrificed if they don't win a round.

 

[Nineteen67]

Keefe was chastised for bag skating these guys on day 2 of training camp, he knows who they are.
Maybe embarrassing them through the media, if they can even be embarrassed, will get their attention.
Sure looks like they‘re going down the same path of relying on their opponent to roll over in a seven game series.

 

[AllHeartNoSkill]

You guys just keep beating that "more goals" drum huh?

Does it strike anybody odd that a team with three ~$10M forwards AND Nylander needs to add a 2nd line forward at the deadline?

 

[makbeer]

I admit I was kinda of close to the fire keefe thing back in the 1st quarter of the season...but at this point to do that is actual insanity. Not to mention for Bruce.

 

[Sypher04]

Does it strike anybody odd that a team with three ~$10M forwards AND Nylander needs to add a 2nd line forward at the deadline?

They don’t. It would be a luxury. Our bottom 6 is what actually needs attention.

 

[Notsince67]

Hard to jump on the coach replacement bandwagon given the awful history of coaches on this team. That said, perhaps the Leafs should hire one of the big names to coach the more kinetic 3rd and 4th lines. It's clear that Keefe can't compartmentalize the required strategic differences between skilled and plug. So tired of ballerinas like Engval doing piroettes instead of crashing and banging.

 

[Niagara Bill]

I am not a Keefe fan, but Dubas is the issue.
He keeps filling in the bottom 6, unsuccessfully.
Marlies are doing well, but not transferred to Leafs.
How can you give Steeves only 1 game?? You develop his confidence in AHL and then destroy it on the drive to Scotiabank.
But for goodness sake, just put them out there, add the speed and say....go get em.
Enthusiasm is worth something. Taking a punch in the face for the team is ok. Smacking Bunting for being an ass is good. ( Simmons should take this on as his final Leaf act).

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

It is true Keefe should be fired by now, but to suggest It's because he lost to the Bruins and Jackets is ridiculous.

Keefe should have been fired about 3 seconds after he finished talking about "respect in the handshake line."

THAT is where he should have been fired on the spot that was pathetic.

It's not for current record they are top 5 in the league.

 

[egd27]

Does it strike anybody odd that a team with three ~$10M forwards AND Nylander needs to add a 2nd line forward at the deadline?

or that the "problem" is that teams without $40M tied up in 4 forwards have better contributions their "depth"

 

[Nhlpowerweek]

Bet u if Haley wickenheiser was gm Keefe wouldn't allow the crappy games against inferior teams
Best friends as coach and gm work in minor hockey
Not in big business

Its an interesthang thought. I would prefer a man gm, but an assistant could be a women though. Lou is still doing a fine job at the Island. They dont allow dirt. He just said himself after signing horvat...."the contract is too long and too expensive". I was laughing out loud. Thats what the world needs. Horvat couldnt make a better comeback on that even if he wanted.

Our suckas is losing some games by intention. They save energy and light. But even in those games... yall should be fighting cause of the audience. Many people invest into these games. So its hard.

 

[egd27]

Keefe isn't meek at all.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Firing Keefe is a good idea. Gotta fire the Doobler with him though.

 

[Leafs87]

I disagree.

 

[AllHeartNoSkill]

Firing Keefe is a good idea. Gotta fire the Doobler with him though.

Yeah hopefully they break this pattern of hiring a coach first and new GM second. let the new GM bring in who he wants.

 

[Notsince67]

or that the "problem" is that teams without $40M tied up in 4 forwards have better contributions their "depth"

Sure. Pay your shit players more so that they produce at a higher rate

 

[Dekes For Days]

Record against teams with sub-0.500 record: 8-4-4
Record against teams with sub-0.500 record while getting a SV% above 0.900: 6-0-1
Average SV% in losses to sub-0.500 teams: 0.868 SV%

It's pretty clear what the actual issue has been this year against bottom tier teams, but who's really surprised that Toronto media got it wrong again?

 

[Bomber0104]

Record against teams with sub-0.500 record: 8-4-4
Record against teams with sub-0.500 record while getting a SV% above 0.900: 6-0-1
Average SV% in losses to sub-0.500 teams: 0.868 SV%

It's pretty clear what the actual issue has been this year against bottom tier teams, but who's really surprised that Toronto media got it wrong again?

Wow, so more goals get scored against you in losses, and less in games you win?

Earth-shattering analysis!

 

[LeafSteel]

I have said for years that we missed our chance when Gallant was available and have wanted Trotz and Beaudreau previously, but Cox's timing and argument are way off here.

Like it or not, our fortunes are firmly stuck to Keefe for this season. To his credit, he's grown as a coach and has been resilient, but he cannot afford to get outcoached this year in the playoffs.

 

[kevsh]

So you figure it's better to dismiss ideas before reading them to see what they are, based on the author?

Yes, the same reason when I'm browsing the latest action movie releases on Netflix and see the trailer for a new Nicholas Cage, Bruce Willis or Cuba Gooding movie I immediately skip past it because I know the film will be 90 of the worst minutes in cinematic history.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Wow, so more goals get scored against you in losses, and less in games you win?
Earth-shattering analysis!

That's a weird interpretation of what I just said.
The team is essentially undefeated against bottom tier teams when their goaltending is below average or better. Doesn't sound like a group of skaters that doesn't show up.
Our record drops against those teams when our goaltending ranges from bad to horrific, like it would for any team.
Every single loss to a sub-0.500 team has been a 1 goal game. Getting better than 0.868 goaltending would flip a lot of those outcomes.

 

[Bomber0104]

That's a weird interpretation of what I just said.
The team is essentially undefeated against bottom tier teams when their goaltending is below average or better. Doesn't sound like a group of skaters that doesn't show up.
Our record drops against those teams when our goaltending ranges from bad to horrific, like it would for any team.
Every single loss to a sub-0.500 team has been a 1 goal game. Getting better than 0.868 goaltending would flip a lot of those outcomes.

So if they allowed less goals against, they probably would have won the games?!

Again, ground-breaking stuff. You've cracked the code of hockey!