After 5 years behind the bench, Sheldon Keefe has been relieved of his head coaching duties for the Maple Leafs.

In a move that many Leafs fans wanted for the last few years, it finally happened. With higher-ups scheduled to speak this Friday, the decision to fire Sheldon Keefe was made after conversations over the last couple of days. After replacing Mike Babcock back in 2019, there hasn’t been much success under a new name. After losing the Qualifying Round in 2020 to Columbus, a blown 3-2 lead in the first round to Montreal, a series loss in 2022 against Tampa, a series win in 2023 against Tampa, and ultimately a loss against Boston just a few nights ago, GM Brad Treliving determined that “a new voice was needed” from his press release.

Keefe coached the Maple Leafs to a 212-97-40 record over the last 5 years, as well as 3 consecutive 100pt seasons. Unfortunately, that did not translate into playoff success, sporting a 16-21 record in the postseason. There was regular season success, but when you get out-coached in the postseason, there must be some change.

What many Leafs fans determined was the final straw for Sheldon Keefe, was in his post-game press conference, when he was talking about the Boston Bruins’ structure and their style of play, he goes on to mention “When teams play the Leafs, they set up for the Leafs to beat themselves.” As a coach, it is your job to prevent that, and for your team to play a style where the other team has to work to beat you. Many fans on X after that quote were visibly upset, calling for the firing right there and then.

In lieu of this change, we must have another head coach. The top candidate looks to be former St. Louis Blues coach Craig Berube. With a cup win under his belt in 2019, Berube has experience around the league and has clearly noted playoff success. The main change that he would give the Leafs is that he holds his players accountable – something we’ve been longing for from a head coach. There are other coaching options, such as Jay Woodcroft, and Gerard Gallant.

With this change, the Maple Leafs look to be turning the page on the Sheldon Keefe chapter of their story. More information will be available in the coming days as we may find out who will be behind the bench for the Maple Leafs next season.