New Head Coach search

[guitarguyvic]

Facebook fans already losing their f***ing shit at there even being a hint that Keefe could be hired.

 

[Guadana]

I hope Devils will hire Keefe just for Facebook fans.

Keefe is young than big part of the fan base on this board and still his track record is better than what some actual good coaches had in uis age. Without focusing on bad defensive personnel, bad goaltending etc. There are only very few successful coaches who was consistently successful with different teams.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Did we hire Berube yet?

no and hopefully they don't. Not sure what people see in this guy other than "he yells a lot" tbh

 

[guitarguyvic]

Yeah I’m going in opposite direction with berube and keefe. Before he had that one Stanley cup winning year where he came in mid-season, berube had a HC stint with the flyers and did pretty much nothing of special note with them. And he’s done nothing special in the years since the Stanley cup win either. Seems like a lightning in a bottle situation more than anything specific he does really well.

This team does need more accountability but they also need structure. The latter can help with the former but the former is useless if the coach isn’t good at instituting the latter.

 

[New Jersey Devils]

If we hire Keefe we could always trade him to the Pens for Sullivan if he ends up being canned. I'm half kidding.

 

[Saugus]

Facebook fans already losing their f***ing shit at there even being a hint that Keefe could be hired.

You could replace the bolded with just about anything and it would still be true.

Not the brightest or most emotionally stable bunch on there.

 

[OmNomNom]

you - stirring the drink

lolol

for real though, i honestly think toronto is a tire fire, and keefe wasn't the main issue. if the locker room has too many big egos and isn't great, then that's on shanahan

 

[Barry Tallackson]

This just in… half of the viable candidates are at the top of the list!

Alex is more of a fan than a journalist

 

[R8Devs]

Leafs have a pretty good record without their stars in the lineup in the playoffs without their stars in the lineup in the regular season since 20-21 (first full season of Keefe and obviously this is not without all of them out of the lineup but we saw this season how hard it can be for the Devs with even 1 or 2 stars out of the lineup ):

Without Matthews: 15-7-0
Without Marner: 14-9-3
Without Tavares: 7-0-0
Without Nylander: 3-2-1

So you could point to the team having good structure and all that because it's not like they have the greatest depth/goaltending in that time. They also won 2 games in the playoffs this year without Matthews.

I guess it's concerning how they play differently in the playoffs versus the regular season but part of it could be the coaching staff doesn't trust their stars to produce nearly as well as they did in the regular season in the playoffs (but that could also be a self-fulfilling prophecy lol). But he's still going to be one of the youngest coaches in the league so wouldn't bet against him learning from it in an environment not as pressure focused as Toronto.

 

[Devils Trap]

no and hopefully they don't. Not sure what people see in this guy other than "he yells a lot" tbh

This, this x1000 this.

The guy is not a good coach whatsoever

 

[MasterofGrond]

Keefe won the Leafs a playoff round in the 21st century

he might be the greatest coach in the history of the nhl

 

[Jersey Fresh]

I’m agnostic on Keefe, but what do people attribute his lack of playoff success to? The Leafs have been a pretty good regular season club, so I can’t immediately hand wave that, but sometimes guys don’t adjust when they get into the playoffs when they need to.

 

[None Shall Pass]

I’m agnostic on Keene, but what do people attribute his lack of playoff success to? The Leafs have been a pretty good regular season club, so I can’t immediately hand wave that, but sometimes guys don’t adjust when they get into the playoffs when they need to.

Toronto's defense-corps and goaltending are both pretty bad, tbh. I'd say our D with healthy Dougie and maturing Luke / Nemec is already better than theirs, and ideally Fitz gets His Guy in goal. I think Keefe would have more success here.

 

[minibrodeur]

I really like Keefe out of the available options, I'm all for it. My only concern with him is that he didn't have the greatest start to games in Tor, and this was definitely an issue with our team too.

 

[Bcap88]

I’m agnostic on Keefe, but what do people attribute his lack of playoff success to? The Leafs have been a pretty good regular season club, so I can’t immediately hand wave that, but sometimes guys don’t adjust when they get into the playoffs when they need to.

I wouldnt put it all on Keefe and more of the make up if the team

of the 5 years, leafs lost to the cup finalist 3 times and Mike Babcock was doing the first round shuffle before keefe was head coach with the same core

 

[Better Call Sal]

I really like Keefe out of the available options, I'm all for it. My only concern with him is that he didn't have the greatest start to games in Tor, and this was definitely an issue with our team too.

This is absolutely my most valid concern regarding Keefe as well.



Take it for what it's worth.

 

[tailfins]

I’m agnostic on Keefe, but what do people attribute his lack of playoff success to? The Leafs have been a pretty good regular season club, so I can’t immediately hand wave that, but sometimes guys don’t adjust when they get into the playoffs when they need to.

Personally, I think Keefe was a material part of the problem in Toronto.

I think Toronto's biggest issue is that the top forwards refused to play structured hockey for long periods of time. He said as much in his "teams plan for the Leafs to beat themselves" quote.

I think Keefe's at fault there because he gave his stars too much leeway when he came in. Once you've formed a relationship in a certain way, it's hard to change. Going from a relationship built on mutual respect / expectation that good players will do the right thing to one where players are treated more harshly and benched for small mistakes is hard. I think Keefe wasn't able to make the switch - even though he saw that his approach wasn't fully working.

I think going to a new place will be useful to Keefe. He'll have a chance to start fresh and be a slightly different person / relate to players in a slightly different way. Not saying he'll go full Berube or something, but I think he can be quicker to hold star players more accountable in a new spot.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Personally, I think Keefe was a material part of the problem in Toronto.

I think Toronto's biggest issue is that the top forwards refused to play structured hockey for long periods of time. He said as much in his "teams plan for the Leafs to beat themselves" quote.

I think Keefe's at fault there because he gave his stars too much leeway when he came in. Once you've formed a relationship in a certain way, it's hard to change. Going from a relationship built on mutual respect / expectation that good players will do the right thing to one where players are treated more harshly and benched for small mistakes is hard. I think Keefe wasn't able to make the switch - even though he saw that his approach wasn't fully working.

I think going to a new place will be useful to Keefe. He'll have a chance to start fresh and be a slightly different person / relate to players in a slightly different way. Not saying he'll go full Berube or something, but I think he can be quicker to hold star players more accountable in a new spot.

he helped turn their 2 best forwards into Selke contenders, so I am not exactly sure that I agree with this premise.

 

[Patrik26]

Yeah I’m going in opposite direction with berube and keefe. Before he had that one Stanley cup winning year where he came in mid-season, berube had a HC stint with the flyers and did pretty much nothing of special note with them. And he’s done nothing special in the years since the Stanley cup win either. Seems like a lightning in a bottle situation more than anything specific he does really well.

This team does need more accountability but they also need structure. The latter can help with the former but the former is useless if the coach isn’t good at instituting the latter.

Binnington was a huge reason why they won the Cup that season and in particular, the 1st period of Game 7 of the SCF where Boston was all over the Blues. Berube rode Binnington's coattails.

 

[tailfins]

he helped turn their 2 best forwards into Selke contenders, so I am not exactly sure that I agree with this premise.

That's actually the point.

In the regular season, you don't really have to give up offense for defense. At least not usually.

Boston is better than most of the teams the Leafs played. So, the bar for being good defensively against them is different than it is against Ottawa or Detroit.

Therefore, players need to perform differently in the playoffs than in the regular season.

Those small mistakes that don't really show up during the regular season still allow you to get Selke consideration when you put up 90 points.

But, those same mistakes in the playoffs cause you to lose 2-1 to a hot goalie and a team with a strong defensive structure.

 

[Lindys Lazy Eye]

Facebook fans already losing their f***ing shit at there even being a hint that Keefe could be hired.

The Reddit fans seem to be for it. I put their IQs at around the same level.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

That's actually the point.

In the regular season, you don't really have to give up offense for defense. At least not usually.

Boston is better than most of the teams the Leafs played. So, the bar for being good defensively against them is different than it is against Ottawa or Detroit.

Therefore, players need to perform differently in the playoffs than in the regular season.

Those small mistakes that don't really show up during the regular season still allow you to get Selke consideration when you put up 90 points.

But, those same mistakes in the playoffs cause you to lose 2-1 to a hot goalie and a team with a strong defensive structure.

Toronto absolutely outplayed Boston in that series, they simply did not get the goaltending. Not to mention Matthews and Nylander missing time.

 

[Guttersniped]

Personally, I think Keefe was a material part of the problem in Toronto.

I think Toronto's biggest issue is that the top forwards refused to play structured hockey for long periods of time. He said as much in his "teams plan for the Leafs to beat themselves" quote.

I think Keefe's at fault there because he gave his stars too much leeway when he came in. Once you've formed a relationship in a certain way, it's hard to change. Going from a relationship built on mutual respect / expectation that good players will do the right thing to one where players are treated more harshly and benched for small mistakes is hard. I think Keefe wasn't able to make the switch - even though he saw that his approach wasn't fully working.

I think going to a new place will be useful to Keefe. He'll have a chance to start fresh and be a slightly different person / relate to players in a slightly different way. Not saying he'll go full Berube or something, but I think he can be quicker to hold star players more accountable in a new spot.

They had serious roster issues beyond the Core Four.

Questionable forward depth due to cap constraints/“win now” moves.

A defensive core that went from sort of ok (at its peak with a healthy Muzzin, Brodie, Gio) to a f***ing abomination (what they had left standing in 2024 playoffs).

2024- Reilly didn’t produce, McCabe had to play over his head and everyone else was a grenade handler. Good luck with that.

 

[Bcap88]

At the end of the day there isn’t a perfect coach out there

You can pick flaws in nearly all of Keefe,woodcroft and Berube.

I think the team is also past the point of giving an assistant like jay leach a try.

They need someone who can take them where they need to get to and I thibk that is Keege or woodcraft. Those two guys have had success coaching similar styled teams

 

[NjDevsRR]

Bob and FB fans hating Keefe means its the right decision