The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe in the aftermath of the team’s playoff elimination at the hands of the Boston Bruins, the team announced Thursday.
The Leafs’ seven-game loss to the Bruins in the first round was the final straw for Keefe, who led the team to one of the best regular-season records in the league during his time but could not achieve much playoff success.
Keefe was given a two-year extension by new GM Brad Treliving last summer before the coach entered the final year of his previous deal. Before that extension, Keefe’s job status seemed to be uncertain after the Leafs cut ties with former GM Kyle Dubas, who had a long history with the coach dating back to their time with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds.
The native of Brampton, Ont. replaced the fired Mike Babcock as Leafs coach in November 2019 as Dubas – now the Pittsburgh Penguins’ GM – promoted the team’s AHL bench boss. Keefe made the playoffs each season, but had just one series win – last year against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
After a three-year run with the Greyhounds, Keefe was hired to coach the AHL Marlies in 2015. Keefe, who had a 125-game NHL playing career, led the Marlies to the Calder Cup in 2018.