Confirmed with Link: Leafs extend Keefe

[TMLAM34]

Not surprised. It was either fire or extend when Treliving came in. Can’t let his contract status be any kind of distraction during the season for him or the players. It also doesn’t mean he’s going to be here for the entire extension, results will speak next season.

 

[CabanaBoy5]

Ok starting a poll... if u had to choose one...

Schneider
Keefe

Not even close Rula....I'd choose Keefe. You thought Keefe is bad in the playoffs? Schneider pulled his ace for no reason and promptly contributed to squandering an 8-1 lead. At least Keefe has a clue in the regular season.

 

[JKG33]

Provides more stability in the dressing room but in reality he could be easily fired if the team underperforms likes Wilson when he was extended then fired only a few months in

Ah yes that's exactly what this team needs and deserves after years of failure, stability.

 

[BallardEra]

Can’t let his contract status be any kind of distraction during the season for him or the players.

Trotz was in the same position and the Caps went on to win the Cup. However, Trotz didn't like that and essentially walked away from the Caps.

 

[Squiffy]

Coaches never just reach the end of their contracts though, right? You fire them when necessary, term be damned. Always has been always will be.

Anyone want to take a stab at last Leaf coach not fired? No googling..

 

[tmlfan98]

I'm surprised this is a multi-year extension instead of just the general 1 year to avoid him being a lame duck.

 

[Squiffy]

I'm surprised this is a multi-year extension instead of just the general 1 year to avoid him being a lame duck.

Nah, that looks just as bad. 2 year extension is about as small a vote of confidence as you can get.

 

[JKG33]

Trotz was in the same position and the Caps went on to win the Cup. However, Trotz didn't like that and essentially walked away from the Caps.

If Trotz couldn't even get an extension with his resume, yet Keefe just did... yikes.

 

[666]

I don't have high hopes myself. My biggest issue with him was his ridiculous handling of Nylander. He should have given him more ice time and never taken him off PP1, I doubt Dubas had a hand in that.

Are you aware that last season the Leafs had the second best PP and were only second to the Oilers who had the all time best PP? Do you even watch the games?

 

[tmlfan98]

Nah, that looks just as bad. 2 year extension is about as small a vote of confidence as you can get.

True, either way this is pretty much non-news. It would have been more newsworthy if MLSE was cheap enough to actually let him coach this season as a lame duck. Borderline unprecedented if that had been allowed to happen.

 

[SprDaVE]

Ah yes, another leafs fan who fails to distinguish between the regular season and the post season. I'm sure you feel AM34 pay raise was justified for his regular season stats too...

You said that, not me. I'm fully aware of the difference.

 

[Sypher04]

Removes the lame duck coach. It gives him confidence to his job and have security. There are no cap penalties here. If the Leafs don't do well, they can change the coach on a whim without problems. There are no coaches available that would be any sort of upgrade as much as people wanna believe he's the worst thing ever.

He has a pretty good regular season record and the players seem to enjoy playing for him.

No issues here at all.

This pretty well sums it up. I think he’s improved year over year but like his team hasn’t quite figured it out yet.

This said, I think we made a mistake in surrounding him with equally NHL inexperienced assistant coaches at times. I like that he will have Boucher in his staff to provide other insights/perspective we’ve maybe lacked.

He’s done a lot of good in the regular season, and common theme, we need more from him come the post season.

I’m also interested to see how Treliving’s philosophy translates into changes with how this teams is coached/plays. Maybe no longer working for his friend/mentor in Dubas and how Dubas sees hockey, gives Keefe the freedom to do things in different ways he maybe wanted to but didn’t feel fit with their program

 

[TheOne]

This. No down side for anyone other then MLSE being on the hook for paying Keefe to not coach, shouldn’t bother any of us.

Yes.

It's not the team's record by Thanksgiving, or any point in the regular season, that's at question here. They'll be top 5 through March...

 

[tuckerintensity]

This offseason has been so perplexing. Basically we're running it back sans Dubas.

Habs fan question for Leafs fans: Do you feel like he's demonstrated growth as a coach?

Yes, he has. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or not watching. But, he is consistently outcoached in the playoffs and that has been my biggest concern with him.

 

[CapspaceKiller]

Why?

 

[Nylanderthal]

How did he fare in the second playoff round? (not being cheeky -- did he get outcoached or the players outplayed?)

florida's goalie posted a .950 and ours posted a .900. that's what happened in the second round.

 

[Nylanderthal]

not surprised in the least with who likes and dislikes this move.... this place is so predictable

 

[JKG33]

Are you aware that last season the Leafs had the second best PP and were only second to the Oilers who had the all time best PP? Do you even watch the games?

Watching the Kings play the Oilers in back to back playoffs, that PP puts the fear of god into me and many other Kings fans.

I highly doubt the Leafs PP does anything close to that for opposing teams

 

[ShaneFalco]

florida's goalie posted a .950 and ours posted a .900. that's what happened in the second round.

yeah goalied
talk about predictable

 

[JKG33]

not surprised in the least with who likes and dislikes this move.... this place is so predictable

Agreed. Those who value playoff success want changes. Those who are content to pay the losers based on regular season performances are as happy as a pig in shit.

 

[TheOne]

You said that, not me. I'm fully aware of the difference.

Then why dismiss PoMo outcoaching Keefe in the PO in the same breath you dismiss his coaching abilities during the regular season? For example: Tampa is proudly indifferent to the regular season, because they know those stats don't win cups (nor deserve pay raises nor contract extensions). What point were you trying to make then exactly?

The more decisions that go by the more I wonder how much of our team is Dubas vs Shanny.

People clown on Dubas for all the "moves he made" but he is gone and with Shanny at the helm the decision points have been "keep everything the way it is"....

Dubas brought Keefe in from his fetish with the Greyhounds. That ain't on Shanny

 

[Sypher04]

Agreed. Those who value playoff success want changes. Those who are content to pay the losers based on regular season performances are as happy as a pig in shit.

Garbage. Valuing playoff success isn’t intrinsically linked to major changes needing to be made. We both value playoff success. We just don’t necessarily agree in how you get there

 

[666]

Watching the Kings play the Oilers in back to back playoffs, that PP puts the fear of god into me and many other Kings fans.

I highly doubt the Leafs PP does anything close to that for opposing teams

I'm sure that it doesn't but it was the best power play of all time. If those are the standards that our fans our going to hold this team to then they are going to be disappointed. The haters on this forum are whining about signing our all time top scorer to a 4 year deal and the travesty of having the second best power play. This is going to be a long season.

 

[SprDaVE]

Then why dismiss PoMo outcoaching Keefe in the PO in the same breath you dismiss his coaching abilities during the regular season? For example: Tampa is proudly indifferent to the regular season, because they know those stats don't win cups (nor deserve pay raises nor contract extensions). What point were you trying to make then exactly?

For the same reason Paul Maurice was deemed one of the worst coaches of the NHL prior to the season and barely got his team to the post-season, only because another team lost they made it. Sometimes you get a little luck on your side, it happens. And Tampa Bay cares very much about the regular season, because good teams do that. Let me know when Cooper or Stamkos or Hedman have ever said the regular season doesn't matter.

But if you say Paul Maurice is a fantastic coach that outcoached everyone except Cassidy, then who am I to disagree?

 

[TheOne]

I can understand why they did it, but I'm not a huge fan of Keefe. He's not a bad coach, but if Brad Treliving was brought in to give a fresh set of eyes to the front office, then having a fresh set of eyes behind the bench seemed like the next logical step.

It's a two year deal, but I think that's probably a little deceiving. If they flounder this year in the postseason and we just get more of the same, I assume he's gonezo.

Neat, ANOTHER year wasted. This core ain't getting any younger, AM's wrist any getting any healthier, JT ain't getting any quicker, and MM ain't asking for any less. The window is OPEN! DO SOMETHING! ANYTHING! This "wait and see" ship has unfurled its sails and is hull up.