Sheldon Keefe Discussion

[93LEAFS]

I don't agree Lilly looked good at the showcase. He got points but his game was exttemely erratic and sloppy. He has now become a very reliable defensive player, and took steps in his overall game that I was not expecting.
Keefe gets credit for that but I think Lilly as well. If you look at his build, he is a determined kid who wants to get better.
I think your not happy the way Lilly has been developed, and while I understand where your coming from, this season Lilly will likely be used to help his offense. I love Keefe but I will be the first one to criticize him if he puts Schmaltz and others over Lilly on the 1st PP.
To answer the rest of the questions. I think Keefe has done a solid job balancing out everything. He used youngsters like Hollowell, Duszak, and Lindgren in the playoffs.
Keefe has shown he can kids like Lilly. He sheltered him in his rookie season, and never scratched him even when he hit a wall in the 2nd half.
Last season, he gave him tough matchups and initially Lilly struggled, but Keefe never took it away from him, and Lilly became the teams's best defensive defenceman on the team. Keefe gets credit for that. His PP time got cut which was on purpose, but his even strength minutes stayed up. This is the season to develop his offensive game. Dermott was also developed by Keefe.

I thought Liljegren looked better than you described at that event and I do think some of the Marlies success is overrated in this market (Marlies salary due to the amount of full 2 way deals is much higher than the average AHL team). But, to hold 4 games in a mid summer Tournament where he looked good as a knock on how Liljegren has progressed since I believe is over the top. While it’s fun to see those players in the middle of summer when there is no hockey, those events are not to be weighted heavily. I mean if the opposite happened where someone was terrible at the WJCSS and then was good for the Marlies I would also find it ridiculous.

 

[sxvnert]

Keefe is the coaching in waiting for next season. One more playoff failure (which is almost assured if the leafs play boston again) will seal Babs fate.

Dubas gave Babs another year while he continues to build out the team HIS way. Keefe will be handed the reins to the deepest leafs team yet.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Dubas tried to get rid of Babcock after last years playoff exit, but Shanahan vetoed?

Mike Babcock’s tenure nearly ended last spring. Another first-round exit will seal the deal | The Star

Babcock was nearly made to walk the plank after the Maple Leafs lost to the Bruins in the first round last spring. Sources say there was considerable disagreement in the Maple Leafs front office on the matter of the famously stubborn head coach’s continuing employment.

Still, no executive-coach alliance is eternal, and the message to Babcock was clear. Room for error is minimal. Even a slow start to the season could be enough to thrust Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe into the Maple Leafs gig.

Interesting. I could see Dubas promoting Keefe if Babcock falls short yet again. At that point Keefe won’t have to worry about player development at all, as the mandate in the NHL is singular, win playoff games.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Our player development has been outstanding. Hyman, Kapanen, Nylander, Brown, Dermott, Johnsson, Moore, Sandin, Liljegren, Gauthier etc. All spent at least a season with Keefe & the Marlies before graduating to the Leafs. That's a solid group, well above average. We used to hope Percy and Finn would turn out to be NHL'ers, now we graduate multiple prospects yearly. It's night & day.

I agree, but how much of that is thanks to Keefe?

Hyman was 23 years old before he met Sheldon Keefe and only played ~50 career games for him.

Nylander was a can’t miss prospect who was already playing top line minutes in men’s pro leagues in Sweden before coming over to North America.

Kapanen (who I followed closer than most in Pittsburgh) hit a major snag in development under Keefe. In his last year in Pittsburgh he looked nearly NHL ready, then seemed to regress and stall out in his first year under Keefe, and hasn’t developed as I expected until he was back under an NHL coaching system.

Johnsson developed in Sweden during his 3.5 years of SHL play. He was a (shade under) PPG player in the SHL before playing a game for Keefe.

As for Gauthier’s development, I am happy that the guy has scraped together a career on the fourth line, but the less said the better.

 

[Mickey Marner]

I agree, but how much of that is thanks to Keefe?

Hyman was 23 years old before he met Sheldon Keefe and only played ~50 career games for him.

Nylander was a can’t miss prospect who was already playing top line minutes in men’s pro leagues in Sweden before coming over to North America.

Kapanen (who I followed closer than most in Pittsburgh) hit a major snag in development under Keefe. In his last year in Pittsburgh he looked nearly NHL ready, then seemed to regress and stall out in his first year under Keefe, and hasn’t developed as I expected until he was back under an NHL coaching system.

Johnsson developed in Sweden during his 3.5 years of SHL play. He was a (shade under) PPG player in the SHL before playing a game for Keefe.

As for Gauthier’s development, I am happy that the guy has scraped together a career on the fourth line, but the less said the better.

Perhaps you've figured it out. Under Keefe, players from all over the planet are quickly acclimated to our organization and are prepared for NHL action when they're promoted to the big club. Transitioning from Jr/NCAA/Europe to the NHL via the Marlies, largely falls on Keefe.

 

[MattySnipes]

Dubas tried to get rid of Babcock after last years playoff exit, but Shanahan vetoed?

Mike Babcock’s tenure nearly ended last spring. Another first-round exit will seal the deal | The Star

Babcock was nearly made to walk the plank after the Maple Leafs lost to the Bruins in the first round last spring. Sources say there was considerable disagreement in the Maple Leafs front office on the matter of the famously stubborn head coach’s continuing employment.

Still, no executive-coach alliance is eternal, and the message to Babcock was clear. Room for error is minimal. Even a slow start to the season could be enough to thrust Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe into the Maple Leafs gig.

Interesting article. Not huge on DF, but he brings up good points. The 100-points accomplished by 1/3 of league. Babcock with arguably one of his most talented rosters, and is still unable to get past the 1st round. His boasting about getting wins, when he wasn't here they were losers, when he came they only got wins. Give credit to the star players drafted fool. They're the ones who got the team wins. Babcock only thinks of himself.

 

[stickty111]

I agree, but how much of that is thanks to Keefe?

Hyman was 23 years old before he met Sheldon Keefe and only played ~50 career games for him.

Nylander was a can’t miss prospect who was already playing top line minutes in men’s pro leagues in Sweden before coming over to North America.

Kapanen (who I followed closer than most in Pittsburgh) hit a major snag in development under Keefe. In his last year in Pittsburgh he looked nearly NHL ready, then seemed to regress and stall out in his first year under Keefe, and hasn’t developed as I expected until he was back under an NHL coaching system.

Johnsson developed in Sweden during his 3.5 years of SHL play. He was a (shade under) PPG player in the SHL before playing a game for Keefe.

As for Gauthier’s development, I am happy that the guy has scraped together a career on the fourth line, but the less said the better.

Hyman wasn't a guarantee to be an NHL player when he got traded here, and spend half a season with Keefe, and ended up being a full time solid player.
I agree about Nylander.
Just like Bracco, Kapanen had a limited role in his 1st season, and then in the playoffs, and the next season under Keefe, he became a great player for the Marlies. Keefe should get credit for that. I think you can argue he slightly stalled under Babcock.
I'm with you on Johnsson as well.