The Toronto Maple Leafs fired head coach Sheldon Keefe on Thursday morning, general manager Brad Treliving confirmed in a press release.
“The organization will immediately begin the process to hire its next head coach, and decisions regarding the remainder of the coaching staff will follow,” read the team’s statement.
Keefe compiled a record of 212-97-40 in 349 regular season games behind the Maple Lefs bench. The Toronto club has reached the 100 ranking point mark in three consecutive campaigns under Keefe, including a record 115-point season in 2021-22.
But the Leafs have only made it past the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs once in the last four campaigns — they beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in 2022-23, before losing in five games to the Florida Panthers in the next round.
Insufficient results in the eyes of Maple Leafs management.
“The decision made today is difficult,” admitted Treliving. Sheldon is a great coach and a very good individual. However, we determined that a new approach was needed to enable the team to achieve its ultimate goal. We would like to thank Sheldon for his hard work and dedication over the past nine years with our organization. »
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