Speculation: Sheldon Keefe

PromisedLand

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First; I'd like to show my appreciation for Keefe. He has been an excellent coach for the marlies (regardless of whether Marlies win Calder or not).

Now for the speculation part.

Lou recently cleaned house for NYI; and there are rumours that Keefe might get the nod and with the close releationship of Hunter and Lou; have a feeling that Hunter would join NYI as well; knowing full well what the Leafs draft strategy(s) might be.

Personally, I do not want to lose Keefe. Can we just get rid of DJ Smith and promote Keefe to be the assistant coach with the Leafs and throw money at him.

his coaching record (so far...)

2brchk.jpg


What you guys think about Keefe?
 
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LeafsNation75

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Even if Keefe gets the Islanders job let's remember the Leafs were in the same situation when Dallas Eakins was coaching the Marlies. Now the one difference is we know Babcock is not getting fired and we hope to see Keefe take over, the way it was when Ron Wilson got fired and Randy Carlyle was hired as his replacement. However we all saw what happened when Eakins was hired as the Oilers coach when he was considred to be the top coach not in the NHL.
 

PromisedLand

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Even if Keefe gets the Islanders job let's remember the Leafs were in the same situation when Dallas Eakins was coaching the Marlies. Now the one difference is we know Babcock is not getting fired and we hope to see Keefe take over, the way it was when Ron Wilson got fired and Randy Carlyle was hired as his replacement. However we all saw what happened when Eakins was hired as the Oilers coach when he was considred to be the top coach not in the NHL.

I dont know man. Their coaching stats are a bit different. Eakins has more experience but his metrics are not as good as Keefe IMO

Keefe
2brchk.jpg



Eakins
2brcwh.jpg
 

PromisedLand

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Losing Keefe is going to SUCK! He has done a great job with developing players for the Leafs.

Fire DJ Smith and keep Keefe with the Leafs organization
 

Razz

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Jan 23, 2011
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Keefe clearly will be an NHL coach sooner than later, and I'm happy to see that happen. He could very well be the Leafs coach years down the road. I just hope we find someone as good as him for the Marlies afterwards. The more NHL coaches the Leafs produce, the better for the organization as a whole.
 

Leaf Fans

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We're going to lose Keefe, that's a given, unless Babs makes him an assistant.
It is possible that Keefe will go for a head coaching job even if he is offered an assistant coaching job with the Leafs. It is the mark of a good organisation. You create a system of creating good people and have an excellent network with an eye to succession management. This applies outside of hockey as well. I think Babcock was hired before Keefe so he would have known going in that his head coaching chance was more likely to be outside of the Leafs, and Dubas would have known as well.
 
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Leaf Fans

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Babcock was hired on May 20, 2015 and Keefe was hired July 8, 2015.
Yes, thanks for that. I thought that was the order. I do hope Keefe stays in the organisation though. Would you by chance know how long Keefe is under contract?
 

saltming

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First; I'd like to show my appreciation for Keefe. He has been an excellent coach for the marlies (regardless of whether Marlies win Calder or not).

Now for the speculation part.

Lou recently cleaned house for NYI; and there are rumours that Keefe might get the nod and with the close releationship of Hunter and Lou; have a feeling that Hunter would join NYI as well; knowing full well what the Leafs draft strategy(s) might be.

Personally, I do not want to lose Keefe. Can we just get rid of DJ Smith and promote Keefe to be the assistant coach with the Leafs and throw money at him.

his coaching record (so far...)

2brchk.jpg


What you guys think about Keefe?
I would think Keefe has huge loyalty for Dubas and I think that would keep him here for a long term organic growth period in the organization.
 

93LEAFS

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I think Lou is going to try to hire Hunter in a lower key role, and I think if they bring in anyone from the Leafs as a Coach it will be DJ Smith (Mark Hunter pushed that hire).

Babs will have full control over his NHL staff, so Keefe can't be forced on him by Dubas, if he doesn't want Keefe on the bench. The other issue is, what assistant coaches run is actually varied. Brewer runs video and pre-scouting, DJ Smith runs the PK and Defence, and Babcock's right hand man Jim Hiller runs the PP and Forwards. I'm not sure Keefe skill set as a coach is having him coach the defence and PK. He played Forward growing up and is a fairly offensive coach. So, his skill set probably dictates he'd need to take over Hiller's role, and Dubas trying to put Keefe in over an assistant Babcock personally brought over from Detroit would not play well.

I'd also add, DJ Smith is great at being the intermediary between the players and Babcock, and was a way more accomplihsed OHL coach than Keefe was when he was hired (2 Memorial cups as an assistant under Boughner, and a Memorial Cup with Oshawa).
 

PromisedLand

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I would think Keefe has huge loyalty for Dubas and I think that would keep him here for a long term organic growth period in the organization.

:crossfing

Keefe has done a tremendous job with the youth especially in terms of development; we can't afford to lose a talent like that just 3 years into the rebuild. We should be prepared to throw money at him to say with the organization as assistant coach for the Leafs or Head Coach for the marlies for at least 2 more years (and pass on the wisdom to a newbie who may potentially take over once Keefe (or Babs) is gone.
 
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Leaf Fans

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saltming

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:crossfing

Keefe has done a tremendous job with the youth especially in terms of development; we can't afford to lose a talent like that just 3 years into the rebuild. We should be prepared to throw money at him to say with the organization as assistant coach for the Leafs or Head Coach for the marlies for at least 2 more years (and pass on the wisdom to a newbie who may potentially take over once Keefe (or Babs) is gone.
I agree that we should hold on to him no matter the dollar figure.
Maybe I read too much into it but Keefe has been brought along by Dubas and they seem pretty close so I'm countingnon that as the main factor he will stick around.
That said I think he will get promoted when an opening appears. If Smith gets a head coach job Keefe will likely slot in.
I'm not saying he couldn't leave for a NHL job but I would be surprised
 

CantLoseWithMatthews

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hopefully Keefe gets a coaching spot on the Leafs next year, so he can get a handle on things now. Just in case Babcock blows it in the first round too many more times for the upper management and ownership. Smith is pretty abysmal and I don't think he should be missed. his defensive schemes, breakouts, and penalty kill strategies have all been spotty at best. The Marlies play with far more structure and intensity
 

PromisedLand

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I agree that we should hold on to him no matter the dollar figure.
Maybe I read too much into it but Keefe has been brought along by Dubas and they seem pretty close so I'm countingnon that as the main factor he will stick around.
That said I think he will get promoted when an opening appears. If Smith gets a head coach job Keefe will likely slot in.
I'm not saying he couldn't leave for a NHL job but I would be surprised

Here is one of the question he answered on mapleleafs.com back in 2016

MapleLeafs.com: As a coach, where do you get the most satisfaction in the job - is it when you see players moving up to the NHL level? Is it getting wins? A combination of both?

Sheldon Keefe: It is absolutely when I see progress in the players – and that doesn't always mean it's just the guys that get called up. Seeing them perform well when I watch very closely – and our entire staff watches very closely and is anxious to see how the players we've worked with can step in and perform at the NHL level – is tremendous. But even here, we’re teaching and coaching every day, and you want to see progress consistently. I've been fortunate in that all the levels that I've coached at, my teams have won a lot in the regular season. And anyone that's ever worked with me would confirm I don't get too excited about winning games too much, but I really enjoy seeing progress in players.
In many ways, this job that I've been able to work in this year is a perfect situation for me, because I don't get to measure myself on wins and losses, I measure myself on progress and players. Mike Babcock and the Toronto Maple Leafs ultimately want to see us develop players in a winning environment, but if we're winning every game but players go up and they have no idea what's going on, or their games are to a point where they can’t perform at the NHL level and they aren't getting better, I'm not doing a good job.
We want to make sure that every day we're pushing and we’re seeing progress, and that's really what gets us up out of bed and in here working long hours like we do every day - and it's not just me, it's the entire staff.

full interview at link below
One-on-One with Sheldon Keefe


That is just quality. I really really hope he isn't going away anytime soon.
 

saltming

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Here is one of the question he answered on mapleleafs.com back in 2016



full interview at link below
One-on-One with Sheldon Keefe


That is just quality. I really really hope he isn't going away anytime soon.
The key phrase for me is
this job that I've been able to work in this year is a perfect situation for me, because I don't get to measure myself on wins and losses, I measure myself on progress and players.
 
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Menzinger

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While it’s only a matter of time before he gets an NHL level job, I’m hoping the Leafs get him at least another season with the Marlies, seems to be the perfect coach for them.

He’s Dubas’ guy too so I’m not overly worried about Lou trying to poach him.
 

MR4

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Fire DJ Smith.. Run Keefe as assistant coach for 2 years.. then after another 2 1st round exits promote Keefe to head coach :D
 

PromisedLand

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Seriously, look at the difference in structure between the Marlies defensive coverage and breakouts and the Leafs. Our AHL squad shouldn't be the one that's miles ahead

Keefe in 2015 (when he was hired)

“The biggest change for the Greyhounds was in the style of player which was appealing to Kyle. The way it worked out, it’s become the same type of player I’m attracted to and see value in. So our visions aligned,” says Keefe.

“For us, the value of speed and skill and hockey sense would far outweigh any physical attributes. We wanted people who have the ability to make plays and have speed.

“The foundation is the understanding that when we carried the puck over the blue line offensively, we created more offence,” he says. “Within that, we understood there was a correlation between carrying puck over our own blue line and how it influenced what we could do at the other team’s blue line, so we worked on different schemes and mechanisms to do that.

“After that, it just made sense we had to try and prevent the opposition from doing the same. I’ve enjoyed watching it a lot. It’s been fun to see the whole thing develop.”

No Stupid freakin' stretch passes down the middle for hail mary plays
 

SeaOfBlue

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I think Keefe sticks around with the Marlies. The Islanders are going to be a mess next year and I doubt he's going to want to be the one tasked with fixing it. I do not think he wants to be an Assistant Coach in the NHL either. That's really a downgrade. He's running things in the AHL.

He may have to wait a bit, but the Leafs are going to be an amazing team when he takes over. If he wins a Calder this year, and then maybe another one next year, then we may risk losing him. It depends on his relationship with Dubas, and how much we are willing to pay to keep him. Keefe is not an elite coach, so it's not a desperation situation.
 

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