Confirmed with Link: Sheldon Keefe Fired -- Discussion Thread

[Al14]

you can never blame the players for playing the coaches system and never adapting to the team you are playing, you cant even blame the 4th line for giving up the tying goal in game 7, because they didnt decide to hop over the boards on their own.
these are standard bad coaching decisions.

Right, and OVERPAID players that can't score when it's all on the line get a pass every time.

It's NOT all on coach Keefe IMHO.

We shall see what happens with a new coach. Hopefully, the players will actually play to their potential, and salaries, in next year's playoffs. Assuming the new coach can get them there that is.

 

[Bellefour20]

I think his time had come regardless of how much blame he really deserves. I hope for his sake he can get another job that's not in Pittsburgh. You don't want to be seen as Dubas's little toy if possible ****cough***** Spezza ******cough****. But a high paying job is a high paying job.

Spezza should've realized he didn't have to latch himself to Dubas. He would've easily endeared himself with Leafs ownership and fans without Dubas. Now he is attached at the hip of Dubas and will struggle to get out from under him.

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

My guy is Brind'Amour if he becomes available

 

[Strangle]

Well that is certainly a take. And seeing how he was forced to resign and need permission to re-enter the league it’s certainly not one the NHL agrees with.

If the league didn’t agree, it would be a lifetime ban with no way to re-enter the league.

It’s obvious they do not agree, because Q will be in the league again. This is a PR move, and nothing else

To appease Twitter users like yourself

 

[TMLAM34]

About time!

 

[yubbers]

Was he? Litterally everyone with a sharp hockey opinion has stated that our pay structure is not condusive to a winning formula. And based on our success rate and that of those who do win and their pay structures...this opinion would be correct.

Keefe had an uphill battle here as will anyone coming in with Marner still on this team

He managed to make the leagues most potent offense run at what? 5% in the playoffs?

 

[francis246]

No more rookies in their roles - Keefe, Dubas, and hopefully Shanny. Even Pizza Boy lacks a cup winning record, but I'll give him a year. The most important era since the 60s and they handed responsibilities to rookies. Get Quenneville.

I don’t get why people act like having a rookie GM or coach is an issue. How else do people get their starts. Jon Cooper was once a rookie coach hired within, same with Julien Brisebois, a rookie GM who was AGM.

Being a bad GM is being a bad GM and clearly that was what Kyle was or is, it has nothing to do with being a rookie because at some point all of the GM’s were a rookie and got their opportunity by being promoted.

He managed to make the leagues most potent offense run at what? 5% in the playoffs?

I didn’t know Keefe was out there playing

 

[Anthrax442]

Boucher stays?

Hope not

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Good riddance. At least a year too late.

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

I like what another poster said, it's not his fault but he's not the solution either.

Keefe definitely wasn't telling the players to skate around the perimeter, be soft as hell and watch puck battles, to pass the puck to Boston in the neutral zone, etc.

Ah well. Hopefully this is the first of many big moves. Otherwise it's a different angle of the same problem

 

[Menzinger]

That's all they need.

True, and may indeed be worth the gamble given the teams.currenr circumstances, but...

the problem is if he doesn't click it's essentially throwing away the next couple years

 

[Sypher04]

I can’t see how they stay after the mess that our special teams were

 

[Rare Jewel]

Right, having one of the best 200 foot players in the league is a liability.
it really showed in Keefe's usage (of him) how big a liability he was, as Marner always led the team in total icetime, and was out for every critical moment, in offense and defense. heck, he was even deployed as a d-man.

6 goals in his last 37 playoff games for nearly $11m, though.

He and his mates can be the superstars of the regular season and chew up nonplayoff teams, but in the playoffs, he's been as disappointing as any of them.

 

[francis246]

Berube caught lightening in a bottle that year. He does not have much success outside it.

But he holds players accountable and that’s what’s needed in this era. Skill will always be skill but the team lacks structure and accountability and that’s why Keefe got fired. There was no structure or accountability. By the time Keefe started implementing that it was too late

 

[yubbers]

I don’t get why people act like having a rookie GM or coach is an issue. How else do people get their starts. Jon Cooper was once a rookie coach hired within, same with Julien Brisebois, a rookie GM who was AGM.

Being a bad GM is being a bad GM and clearly that was what Kyle was or is, it has nothing to do with being a rookie because at some point all of the GM’s were a rookie and got their opportunity by being promoted.



I didn’t know Keefe was out there playing

Teams with unlimited coaching budgets that drafted a couple generational talents don't take stupid gambles like that

Good ones that is. Get your start on Seattle. Lol

That's like a company hiring a dude straight outta college to be the CEO. Dumb

 

[rumman]

It's the bare minimum they could have done.

So it is a start, and I feel you. But the changes needed are much deeper than just a coach, 50 million on forwards that can't produce more than 2 goals a game in the playoffs simply cannot exist anymore.

So we shall see what the plan truly is, I'd like a defensive approach, a take no prisoners ironclad system.

Get rid of Shanahan, then get rid of half the core……..

 

[MSZ]

I can’t see how they stay after the mess that our special teams were

The next coach will bring in his own guys as always.

 

[rumman]

Gallant would make sense. We no longer care if rich players dont like their coach.

Definitely not the worse choice out there……..

 

[Fonzieleaf]

Keefe was great in the regular season and shitty in the playoffs. 1 series win in 6 years isn't going to cut it whether the players perform or not. Every playoffs he was outcoached and failed to make appropriate adjustments. Made dumb decisions like giving a Holl and Brodie an insane amount of minutes and putting the 4th line out after scoring an important goal. Not to mention his pressors were very aggravating like saying the leafs showed effort in game 4 when they very clearly didn't.

Is a lot of that on the players? Yes but he needs to make these players accountable and in the very few times that he did, he retracted his statements or actions. Remember when Marner went down the tunnel during that Anaheim game because he got benched? Instead of having him go to the dressing room for the remainder of the game he sat back down and played the next shift.

The point is he gave the team, especially the core 4, way too much leash and coddling. As a result, they took advantage of this and were allowed to play and show up whenever they wanted without consequences. One of the core 4 playing lazy? Ah it's okay bud no worries just having a bad day I guess we'll get him next time. That was his mentality. He was a friend rather than a coach.

He had to go, and hopefully they find a coach who just won't put up with that shit. Quenneville would be optimal but I also like Berube as an option. Hopefully Marner is gone soon as well.

Dreger says it is very highly unlikely Shanahan is gone. Besides he has a press conference on Friday. Maybe they already have a coach picked out and they are introducing him Friday.

 

[Drytoast]

If they want to go for the cup next year, not 2 or 3 years from now they have to convince JT and Marner to waive their clauses. If not both, then preferably Marner only.

Well to be fair, those contracts are only an issue for 1 more season. Marner and his attitude of being afraid of physicality is the issue. He's over priced and doesn't contribute in the games that matter.

He managed to make the leagues most potent offense run at what? 5% in the playoffs?

I feel based on the last three games that he was finally coaching us to play the way we should in the playoffs, that being said...he started the wrong goalie and took too long to pivot and his line up choices were really bad.

 

[rumman]

He was available last year when Tre was looking at options and chose to extend Keefe. Berube makes too much sense. Seems to be a somebody who has the same beliefs as Tre.

God, I’m really hoping that when Shanahan’s call, that and resigning 88 to that bloated contract mid season, both these moves were idoitic and whoever made the calls is part of the problem imo………

 

[Suntouchable13]

If it's just Berube and the same core, people should just cancel their TSN and SN subscriptions in the fall. Had enough of this BS.

 

[Sypher04]

Teams with unlimited coaching budgets that drafted a couple generational talents don't take stupid gambles like that

Good ones that is. Get your start on Seattle. Lol

That's like a company hiring a dude straight outta college to be the CEO. Dumb

I would not speak in such absolutes. There are probably plenty of examples. Dan Bylsma comes to mind

The next coach will bring in his own guys as always.

Fully agree.

 

[rumman]

Marner can't come out to the press and say he would accept a trade. That lowers his bargaining power.

If Marner wants the 8th year (Very important in his age 35 year) he needs to work with management.

FYI, Gods don’t have to work with management……..

 

[yubbers]

I would not speak in such absolutes. There are probably plenty of examples. Dan Bylsma comes to mind

Zero reason you take such a high risk gamble in that situation. We're not the Oakland As