Sheldon Keefe: “Now more than ever,” he says he’s ready to win with the Leafs

Sheldon Keefe stepped in front of the cameras this afternoon to answer questions from the media.

The players did too, earlier today…

But the team’s stars were unable to acknowledge just how much of a failure the first-round loss to the Bruins was.

The club’s pilot, on the other hand, sees things differently.

He said he was to blame for his club’s early elimination in the first round…

And he claims to have learned a few things in the process.

Keefe is honest: he’s happy in Toronto, he wants to stay with the Leafs organization… Because right now, he feels he’s ready to win “more than ever” in the Queen City.

He knows, however, that there’s a good chance he won’t be back next year, and that the decision is in the hands of management:

Keefe has just completed his fifth season behind the bench for the Maple Leafs.

The result?

He was able to take his club to the second round just once… And his club got blown out in five games by the Panthers (2022-2023 season).

After losing so often, he’s sure ready to win. You grow through adversity, and Keefe is ready to show that he can take his club all the way.

Does Brad Treliving feel the same way, though?

The Leafs’ GM offered his coach a two-year contract extension last summer, binding Keefe to the team until the end of the 2025-2026 season.

This was done shortly after Brad Treliving arrived in Toronto… But we know that things change quickly in the NHL, and judging by the results of this year’s playoffs, the GM will have some choices to make.

The NHL is a results league, after all. And considering that the club led by Keefe has been eliminated in the first round for four of the last five years… Let’s just say it wouldn’t be too surprising to see Sheldon Keefe go down.

In a gaggle

– The boys !

Juraj Slafkovsky at Team Slovakia practice today pic.twitter.com/CdPL6JNQsx

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) May 6, 2024

– Should be a great series.

– What’s going on?

– It’s difficult.