Playoff Keefe

[Gabriel426]

Keefe said after losing Tavares, he wanted to keep Matthews-Marner together because there's established familiarity, chemistry and stability there, and he didn't want to disrupt that...I'm paraphrasing, but that's essentially his response. But he certainly should have known that Matthews has a strong history with Willy under Babcock, and that Marner also had played lower in the line-up before with great effectiveness. He should have moved Willy up to play with Matty because there would have been 2 shooting threats on that line. I don't think the Habs would have been able to smother both Matthews and Nylander on the same line.

Keefe and Dubas have too much pride to put Hyman-AM-Willie together.
I would out that line back together, then try Nick-JT-Marner, Gally-Kerfoot-Spezza, Soup-Engvall-Simmonds in at least one regular season game and see how that works.

 

[Superstar]

I agree in general for facing actually good teams, but we should not need aggressive line matching to hide Matthews/Marner from a Danault-Weber-Chiarot shutdown unit. They should have been able to score against whatever Montreal could throw at them, we're not talking about hiding them from the Pahlson line with Niedermayer-Pronger backing them up.

But they didn't score down the stretch in the last 3 games...in a short 7 game series against the same team, if something is not working, you can't wait for it to work, not like there are 82 games...Montreal got extremely good and comfortable matching against Matthews and Marner...Keefe needed to throw a wrench in there badly to disrupt the Habs' match-up, but he didn't. I don't think they would have been able to shutdown Matthews-Nylander as effectively because there would have been 2 shooters on that line...Marner is capable of driving his line...he could have drove the 2nd line and possibly preyed on a weaker match-up...the Habs were freely giving Hyman and Marner shots, but smothered Matthews completely...sadly, that's not even a genius coaching move by Ducharme...it was born out of desperation...that was the only option Montreal had of shutting down the Leafs' top line, don't let Matthews shoot...and Keefe left it wide open for Ducharme to exploit.

 

[Gabriel426]

But they didn't score down the stretch in the last 3 games...in a short 7 game series against the same team, if something is not working, you can't wait for it to work, not like there are 82 games...Montreal got extremely good and comfortable matching against Matthews and Marner...Keefe needed to throw a wrench in there badly to disrupt the Habs' match-up, but he didn't. I don't think they would have been able to shutdown Matthews-Nylander as effectively because there would have been 2 shooters on that line...Marner is capable of driving his line...he could have drove the 2nd line and possibly preyed on a weaker match-up...the Habs were freely giving Hyman and Marner shots, but smothered Matthews completely.

As much as I dislike the lack of Keefe’s action in the series.
Putting AM and Willie together might actually back fire bc if Habs shut down AM and Willie line, the rest of the team is screw.
Having said that, it certainly would not hurt if he tried something.
Like put Soap and Engvall with AM and see if their speed and hustle can open up space for AM.
Try Spezza, Marner and Simmonds together and see if Simmonds can score some garbage goals.
I just don’t understand why AM and Marner needs to be together. I really hope Keefe is not leaving them together in order to make them happy.

 

[Superstar]

As much as I dislike the lack of Keefe’s action in the series.
Putting AM and Willie together might actually back fire bc if Habs shut down AM and Willie line, the rest of the team is screw.
Having said that, it certainly would not hurt if he tried something.
Like put Soap and Engvall with AM and see if their speed and hustle can open up space for AM.
Try Spezza, Marner and Simmonds together and see if Simmonds can score some garbage goals.
I just don’t understand why AM and Marner needs to be together. I really hope Keefe is not leaving them together in order to make them happy.

I think Keefe was really jolted by Tavares' injury...he did say the reason he kept Matthews-Marner together was after Tavares got injured, he wanted to keep Matthews-Marner together because there was at least stability and familiarity there. Welp, a learning experience for him.

 

[chauron]

It’s all a learning experience for him too - next year Toronto must advance to second round ... as far as I know, Detroit (ages ago) and Tampa lost 3 times with the same core before actually winning the cup.

 

[Gabriel426]

It’s all a learning experience for him too - next year Toronto must advance to second round ... as far as I know, Detroit (ages ago) and Tampa lost 3 times with the same core before actually winning the cup.

They also won a round of two before that.

 

[Martin Skoula]

But they didn't score down the stretch in the last 3 games...in a short 7 game series against the same team, if something is not working, you can't wait for it to work, not like there are 82 games...Montreal got extremely good and comfortable matching against Matthews and Marner...Keefe needed to throw a wrench in there badly to disrupt the Habs' match-up, but he didn't. I don't think they would have been able to shutdown Matthews-Nylander as effectively because there would have been 2 shooters on that line...Marner is capable of driving his line...he could have drove the 2nd line and possibly preyed on a weaker match-up...the Habs were freely giving Hyman and Marner shots, but smothered Matthews completely...sadly, that's not even a genius coaching move by Ducharme...it was born out of desperation...that was the only option Montreal had of shutting down the Leafs' top line, don't let Matthews shoot...and Keefe left it wide open for Ducharme to exploit.

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying Keefe was right to do nothing, it's the type of adjustment you'd expect him to have to make when facing an actually good team and it's disappointing that he couldn't figure it out. I'm just saying that if you're panicking to change your game plan around Danault and Chiarot, something has gone terribly wrong before we even start talking about last change and line matching.

It also highlights a bigger issue beyond coaching: with Tavares out we have precisely 2 shooters that are any sort of threat to score from distance, maybe 3 if you count Spezza. If you put Nylander and Matthews together, there's not a single forward that's a shooting threat throughout the rest of the lineup. You can't have a top line with two pee-wee level shots. Hopefully Robertson is ready for regular minutes.

 

[Stonehands1990]

As much as I dislike the lack of Keefe’s action in the series.
Putting AM and Willie together might actually back fire bc if Habs shut down AM and Willie line, the rest of the team is screw.
Having said that, it certainly would not hurt if he tried something.
Like put Soap and Engvall with AM and see if their speed and hustle can open up space for AM.
Try Spezza, Marner and Simmonds together and see if Simmonds can score some garbage goals.
I just don’t understand why AM and Marner needs to be together. I really hope Keefe is not leaving them together in order to make them happy.

I would hav kept Nylander with Kerfoot and Galchenyuk and had Marner on the 3rd line. Each line becomes an offensive threat, problem is Keefe is stuck in his top 6, bottom 6 mentality because he’s the 2nd coming of Randy Carlyle

 

[bodechek]

He did nothing to adjust and couldn't spark anything in his players to close out the series. I don't care if he is Dubas' guy, get rid of him.

 

[fahad203]

He did nothing to adjust and couldn't spark anything in his players to close out the series. I don't care if he is Dubas' guy, get rid of him.

I am in the same boat here. People like him around here because who he replaced, Babcock. I get that, but the fact is, he's not very good at this job. He just looked over matched by Habs coaching. He had no response for their checking, which is odd, especially playing game 7 at home

Get someone a bit older, someone who has a bit more experience in managing situations. If someone like Torts tells the boys, it' ok, this how it is in game 7 and I have been through 10 of them..... He has more credibility to back it up

Keefe got nothing. Credbility in these roles matter. Experience matters. Otherwise every coach winning Calder cup be coaching every team

 

[egd27]

I think Keefe was really jolted by Tavares' injury...he did say the reason he kept Matthews-Marner together was after Tavares got injured, he wanted to keep Matthews-Marner together because there was at least stability and familiarity there. Welp, a learning experience for him.

But it wasn't working. Every keyboard coach here, as well as every media member could see it wasn't working.

How did he not learn in the CBJ series that a single line can be shut down if the opponent makes that a major component of their game plan.

Why not at least try something else? I was hoping he'd take a page from the Pens playbook and give each of them a line of their own to run, and let Montreal figure out which to focus on.

But, much like the PP, Keefe had no answers to playing against a solid shutdown line.

 

[DarkKnight]

It’s all a learning experience for him too - next year Toronto must advance to second round ... as far as I know, Detroit (ages ago) and Tampa lost 3 times with the same core before actually winning the cup.

It’s a learning experience and win now don’t jive. The GM was in win now, but were supposed to cut Keefe slack. These narratives make no sense whatsoever. If the coach was still learning, why go all in this year? Maybe we had the wrong coach for the circumstance? Two years in a row, the second best coach in the series and nobody can dispute that.

 

[egd27]

It’s a learning experience and win now don’t jive. The GM was in win now, but were supposed to cut Keefe slack. These narratives make no sense whatsoever. If the coach was still learning, why go all in this year? Maybe we had the wrong coach for the circumstance? Two years in a row, the second best coach in the series and nobody can dispute that.

There is no maybe about it. He's not an effective NHL Head Coach.

 

[Mickey Marner]

It’s a learning experience and win now don’t jive. The GM was in win now, but were supposed to cut Keefe slack. These narratives make no sense whatsoever. If the coach was still learning, why go all in this year? Maybe we had the wrong coach for the circumstance? Two years in a row, the second best coach in the series and nobody can dispute that.

It's embarassing that anything on this team is considered a learning experience. I don't see premier organizations like the Yankees, Lakers and ManU treating their organization it's like some McDonalds part-time summer job for a student.

 

[The Masters]

Hes a junk coach. Got out coached vs columbus and montreal and on the same game plan.

 

[RoadWarrior]

Bringing in Corey Perry instead of Thornton should have been a no-brainer for even the most clueless GM.

Thornton is a washed-up lifelong loser who’s never won a big game in his life. Expecting “leadership” from a guy like that defies logic.

In addition to being a proven champion, Perry is a WAY more physical player than Thornton.

Rasmus Sandin can confirm this fact.

But Perry just isn't TML material. He wins everywhere he goes. God forbid he might drag the team into the second round and force Matthews and Marner to miss golf tournaments.

 

[fahad203]

Hes a junk coach. Got out coached vs columbus and montreal and on the same game plan.

He got a pass last year, he does't get it again.

He's just not a good coach. Not everyone who wins calder is and this is not a try league.
I can't believe we blew a 3-1 lead. I mean dudeeeeee

 

[horner]

Nothing is going to happen till Dubas is gone.

Dubas is trying to change playoff hockey ( it isn't working ).

We are not a hard team to play .

Keefe didn't change anything when we played Columbus or games 5,6 and 7

I said at the time we shouldn't have signed JT we needed defence first considering we had 3 RFA's to sign.

Dubas will never make the tough moves .

Trade one of your top stars - it sucks that because of the JT signing this is what we have to do.

My take enjoy the regular season and choose a playoff team.

Note : Ottawa will win a playoff round before we do .

 

[JohnnyBerts]

Nothing is going to happen till Dubas is gone.

Dubas is trying to change playoff hockey ( it isn't working ).

We are not a hard team to play .

Keefe didn't change anything when we played Columbus or games 5,6 and 7

I said at the time we shouldn't have signed JT we needed defence first considering we had 3 RFA's to sign.

Dubas will never make the tough moves .

Trade one of your top stars - it sucks that because of the JT signing this is what we have to do.

My take enjoy the regular season and choose a playoff team.

Note : Ottawa will win a playoff round before we do .

It bothers me to this day that they decided to go after Tavares for 7 years *first* instead of locking up Marner & Matthews for 8 years. Cap Management 101.

For Keefe, I like the guy - he turned his life around but between last year, this years long powerplay woes that remained unaddressed, and the inability to adapt in the Montreal series… I’m not incredibly impressed. Rather he tried and failed.

 

[ottomaddox]

Keefe and Dubas have too much pride to put Hyman-AM-Willie together.
I would out that line back together, then try Nick-JT-Marner, Gally-Kerfoot-Spezza, Soup-Engvall-Simmonds in at least one regular season game and see how that works.

This looks like a team that can't win a wildcard spot in their respective division next year.

 

[hullsy47]

We

He did nothing to adjust and couldn't spark anything in his players to close out the series. I don't care if he is Dubas' guy, get rid of him.[/QUOTE

 

[DarkKnight]

It’s all a learning experience for him too - next year Toronto must advance to second round ... as far as I know, Detroit (ages ago) and Tampa lost 3 times with the same core before actually winning the cup.

So why are we in win now, if people are still learning? Again, I can’t reconcile all the conflicting narratives. Dubas was all in, the coach still has training wheels, bad look.

 

[LeafSteel]

I don't think Keefe is getting enough heat for the Leaf's embarrassing failure this year, and even last year against Columbus.

We raked Babcock over the coals for failing to make adjustments, and it was very much deserved, yet I don't hear anything about Keefe.

Simply put, this is the 2nd year Keefe got out-coached. Anyone knew we weren't going to go far in the playoffs with an dysfunctional Powerplay, but nothing changed with it, and it continued to be useless when we needed it the most.

Yes Tavares getting hurt threw a wrench in things, but that was the 1st period of Game 1. What about the 0ther 20 periods after, where it was clear that Matthews and Marner had nothing going but Nylander and the others were still in it. What the blue Hell was Keefe doing when he saw that our 1st line was struggling??? What adjustments did he make? Not a damn thing.

I think Keefe is fine as an Assistant Coach but he's not up to the task of coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs. One of my top changes would be dismissing Keefe or giving him Malhotra's job, and hiring Gerard Gallant as Head Coach.

Gallant just wins and every accounting of him is that he is an excellent coach and person. Grab him before the Kraken do and let's have the leadership we need when its needed the most.

 

[Mess]

So why are we in win now, if people are still learning? Again, I can’t reconcile all the conflicting narratives. Dubas was all in, the coach still has training wheels, bad look.

We know Dubas pushed his chips all-in based on the draft pick compensation for short term rental players ..

Leafs are missing their 2021 1st, 3rd, 4th and 7th (leaving only 3 picks) and missing 2022 - 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th (again leaving only 3 picks)

He has traded 8 future draft picks in the next 2 years to build this current team, that doesn't even include past years picks invested in his team.

When you mortgage that much future, the hopes is your handpicked coach can deliver on his part otherwise that is a terribly high price to pay for failure.

 

[Mess]

I don't think Keefe is getting enough heat for the Leaf's embarrassing failure this year, and even last year against Columbus.

We raked Babcock over the coals for failing to make adjustments, and it was very much deserved, yet I don't hear anything about Keefe.

Simply put, this is the 2nd year Keefe got out-coached. Anyone knew we weren't going to go far in the playoffs with an dysfunctional Powerplay, but nothing changed with it, and it continued to be useless when we needed it the most.

Yes Tavares getting hurt threw a wrench in things, but that was the 1st period of Game 1. What about the 0ther 20 periods after, where it was clear that Matthews and Marner had nothing going but Nylander and the others were still in it. What the blue Hell was Keefe doing when he saw that our 1st line was struggling??? What adjustments did he make? Not a damn thing.

I think Keefe is fine as an Assistant Coach but he's not up to the task of coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs. One of my top changes would be dismissing Keefe or giving him Malhotra's job, and hiring Gerard Gallant as Head Coach.

Gallant just wins and every accounting of him is that he is an excellent coach and person. Grab him before the Kraken do and let's have the leadership we need when its needed the most.

FWIW: I believe Gallant is earmarked for the NY Rangers coaching job once he gets back from the World Championships.