Is Keefe’s Job On The Line Against Chicago?

[New Liskeard]

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What was he supposed to say ? The truth ?

Marner has lost it and nobody really cares ?

Good to know the entire team is overachieving, and its just Marner who is underperforming.

 

[Tak7]

If it wasn't already, it 100% should be after his post-Carolina comments.
Those are massive red flags for me - reeking of a coach desperate to try and find something to get through to a group of players who aren't responding to him.
He's so far out of his depth coaching this team.

 

[ottomaddox]

Dubas has iced a slow piss poor team this year. You're putting that on Keefe? Dont get me wrong. I'm not a fan of Keefe, but his job is on the line against Chicago? Absolutely not. Dubas has to start juggling balls in the air ASAP. He stuck by this core, he paid this core, and he's going to have to go down with the ship. I do think he has time to make adjustments though.

 

[PromisedLand]

Personally I expect Keefe will be the first one to face the age should the Leafs not turn their play around soon. Fire the coach is usually the first step in the team is playing well below expectations hand book is it not?

I remember Leafs firing Burke who had hired Carlyle before Nonis/Carlyle/Horachek all went down.

 

[Eye Test]

Good to know the entire team is overachieving, and its just Marner who is underperforming.

These comments are so stupid. Does everyone make 11million on the team or just 3 guys? Matthews gets a pass as he’s coming off an injury and missed preseason. Also won the rocket last year. The other two 11mil players are the biggest issue.

 

[cannucky]

He never should have been hired. The word F—k is his go to. Dubas is the man who should be gone. Hire a real GM who does not need fake glasses to make him appear smart. He has proven he is not.

Yeah the whole fake glasses thing speaks volumes to his true character and thats been passed o to the players , how about you show your a legit winning team before you start to relax traditions established by true winning teams ? The culture of this team has been in a downward spiral since the day he took over .

 

[New Liskeard]

These comments are so stupid. Does everyone make 11million on the team or just 3 guys? Matthews gets a pass as he’s coming off an injury and missed preseason. Also won the rocket last year. The other two 11mil players are the biggest issue.

So Marner isn't the only one who is underperforming? I thought so; thanks for the clarification.

 

[ShaneFalco]

If it wasn't already, it 100% should be after his post-Carolina comments.
Those are massive red flags for me - reeking of a coach desperate to try and find something to get through to a group of players who aren't responding to him.
He's so far out of his depth coaching this team.

Hard to argue but I wonder how much Dubas tells him how it's going to be. Like play 16 regardless - PP, PK whatever he wants

 

[17 Clark]

These comments are so stupid. Does everyone make 11million on the team or just 3 guys? Matthews gets a pass as he’s coming off an injury and missed preseason. Also won the rocket last year. The other two 11mil players are the biggest issue.

But only for so long with Matthews

 

[Bluelines]

I’m thinking that Keefe’s job security is on the line for both Chicago and Detroit. They are both soft opponents that any elite team should roll over. If the Leafs lose tomorrow, my guess is Keefe is done. Chicago is absolute roadkill. Not only is Chicago winless six games in, they haven’t even led in a game this season. A loss to the Blackhawks would stretch the Leafs losing streak to five games and would be as big an embarrassment as the loss in Pittsburgh. Shanahan isn’t going to fire Dubas and ownership is too distracted with a family feud to fire them both, and the core isn’t getting traded any time soon. Something would have to happen with a loss in Chicago and that something would almost certainly be sacking Sheldon Keefe. Even a win in Chicago might not be enough if the Leafs lose at home to Detroit.

To push this speculation thread even further out there, my guess is that Keefe is replaced by John Tortorella. Not because Tortorella is the right man for the job, but because management will be so angry at the Leafs over-paid core that they will want to punish the players with as brutal a coach as they can find. Sort of like saying, “You give up on two coaches because you don’t like head games and being yelled at? Well, here’s a nice quiet, mellow fellow for ya. Enjoy the rest of your f—king season.”

When I read Keefe got that 2 years extension... the words lame duck coach popped in my head....

 

[cupcrazyman]

Dubas doesn't have enough pedigree to be untouchable imo.

 

[Bluelines]

Black Hawk fans are breathing a sigh of relief.. Thank god its the Leafs and not Detroit ( Wings beat them 6-3)

 

[LilySmoov]

The answer to the OP is almost unequivocally no. Coaches who have great regular season records through a very short <150-game career, despite a couple playoff failures, don't get canned after a handful of abysmal games at the very beginning of the year.

I know everyone is doom-spiraling right now, but come on.

 

[cannucky]

These comments are so stupid. Does everyone make 11million on the team or just 3 guys? Matthews gets a pass as he’s coming off an injury and missed preseason. Also won the rocket last year. The other two 11mil players are the biggest issue.

Why does Mathews get a pass ? almost every year I here about how he's coming 0ff this or that . never seen him block a shot , never seen him hound on the PK , never even seen him initiate a hit let alone nut up for himself , how many times has he led the team in points ? The first year they were in the league Marner spent half the season playing on the 4th line with scrubs and Mathews only manages 6 points more than him so why always the excuses for the don't give a !@#$ American and nothing but hate for the Canadian kid who works his backside off and plays in all situations even the crappy ones ? You guys ever think about who and what exactly is poisoning the culture of this team ?

 

[Eye Test]

Why does Mathews get a pass ? almost every year I here about how he's coming 0ff this or that . never seen him block a shot , never seen him hound on the PK , never even seen him initiate a hit let alone nut up for himself , how many times has he led the team in points ? The first year they were in the league Marner spent half the season playing on the 4th line with scrubs and Mathews only manages 6 points more than him so why always the excuses for the don't give a !@#$ American and nothing but hate for the Canadian kid who works his backside off and plays in all situations even the crappy ones ? You guys ever think about who and what exactly is poisoning the culture of this team ?

He’s had a slow start as well that’s no doubt. I personally just give him more leeway because he just won a rocket and missed preseason. I wouldn’t say I’m happy with him this year but I’m not on the Marner JT disappointment level.

 

[killer1980]

No! He was just given an extension. Nothing can happen to him without the other 2 jokers going as well and that can't happen yet. I'm hoping we all get a Christmas present with a new gift wrapped management team exit.

 

[Mr Papagoergyo]

Nope, leafs just extended Keefes contract, plus there paying babcock.
At this point its on the players. They did this with babcock, tough crap they can deal with Keefe if they like it or not.
These cry babies dont deserve another out.
If they cant listen to these coaches what coach are they going to listen to?

 

[cannucky]

No! He was just given an extension. Nothing can happen to him without the other 2 jokers going as well and that can't happen yet. I'm hoping we all get a Christmas present with a new gift wrapped management team exit.

This does seem to be the best we could reasonably hope for .

 

[notbias]

A lot of this thread is people just making up what they think is happening behind closed doors. Really hilarious, it is like high school gossip from some of you.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

If it wasn't already, it 100% should be after his post-Carolina comments.
Those are massive red flags for me - reeking of a coach desperate to try and find something to get through to a group of players who aren't responding to him.
He's so far out of his depth coaching this team.

Sounds about the same time Babcock went a bit loopy and asked Marner to make a list.

This team feels done to me.

I didn't like Dubas going after Tavares. We needed D, and rushing rebuilds is bad

 

[leafsfan5]

I don't blame him for what's happening, but he should go. He's been out-coached in the playoffs multiple years and we need to start fresh.

The issues run deeper than him though, these guys look like they've tuned out another coach. They got Babcock fired just 2 years ago and they are back at it again. What a miserable group. Hire Tortorella and see how they act

 

[ToneDog]

45m on the PP and it still sucks. I am not sure this guy isn't in over his head along with his assistants and bosses. I'd make the change to Gabby.

 

[Tak7]

Sounds about the same time Babcock went a bit loopy and asked Marner to make a list.

This team feels done to me.

I didn't like Dubas going after Tavares. We needed D, and rushing rebuilds is bad

The logic behind going after a big fish free agent to help the young budding stars, wasn't a bad one.

I won't fault him for getting Tavares. Unfortunately though, as you've pointed out, it probably wasn't what we needed at the time and it was the first major domino of a project that has spiraled wildly out of control here it feels. My gut says the same thing yours does - that they are done.

Ideally, and with hindsight, I still think they make the Tavares signing, but perhaps flip Kadri for a proper Dman with term, and he holds much firmer on his contracts.

 

[Tak7]

Hard to argue but I wonder how much Dubas tells him how it's going to be. Like play 16 regardless - PP, PK whatever he wants

We will never know for sure, but Dubas doesn't really seem like the GM that gets involved in a coach's business like that.

Very much comes across as someone who likes to do things that help the team, not try to impose his own will on it.

Just my sense though - could be terribly wrong here.

 

[Crows Eye]

Nope, leafs just extended Keefes contract, plus there paying babcock.

There is precedent. The Leafs fired Ron Wilson back in I think 2012 just after giving him a contract extension.
This isn’t just about the 7 games this season or just about a losing streak, it is the pressure piled on top of repeated failures, year after year. Forget his regular season record, Keefe has been at the helm for two inexcusable quick playoff exits. The fans are desperately looking for something that shows an improvement from last season’s disastrous collapse against the Canadiens and instead we are seeing a regression. The fan base is angry and impatient and MLSE can’t afford to sit back and watch their investment in the brand wither away. Which is why if the Leafs lose tomorrow ownership will demand management do something even if it is the wrong thing or the stupid thing. And the quickest, easiest thing for management to do is to fire Keefe.