Sheldon Keefe’s second chance with Maple Leafs: ‘I look at it like it’s a new position’

Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

NASHVILLE – Sheldon Keefe didn’t know if or when he’d be in this position again, staring down a horde of cameras and microphones, taking questions as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. When he addressed media Thursday at Bridgestone Arena during Day 2 of the 2023 NHL Draft, he did so not just as someone getting a second chance, but as someone who felt like he was starting a new job.

That’s how uncertain things were for Keefe pretty much from the minute Kyle Dubas, his longtime champion, was fired as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs during a whirlwind week in May in which his contract negotiations with the team collapsed. Keefe was still under contract through 2023-24, and he had helped the Leafs win their first playoff series in 19 years, but they’d also bowed out with a five-game whimper in Round 2. His decision making and ability to adjust within the confines of a series were called into question. There was no guarantee Toronto’s replacement GM would decide to back him.

Keefe admitted Thursday that there was “a lot of uncertainty” in the days and weeks after Toronto hired Brad Treliving as Dubas’ replacement. Keefe understood that Treliving needed to take time to get to know everyone in the organization, including him, before making a decision on his head coach.

But Keefe will indeed continue on in the gig after he and Treliving reportedly spent upwards of 17 hours at one recent juncture exchanging thoughts on philosophy. It was a gruelling process but Keefe respected Treliving’s thoroughness. In the end, they felt they aligned on many of the important things – such as the team’s commitment to defense and, more specifically, to their star players, such as Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, shouldering lots of responsibility at both ends of the ice. Keefe got his vote of…confidence might be too strong of a word given he has no extension in place beyond this season. But at the very least it’s a second chance for someone who wasn’t a lock to get one. And Keefe approached his meetings almost like he was a new candidate.

“Any time you get a new position, which in my case it’s not a new position but I do look at it in the sense that it is, there’s some newness to this in that your boss is different and comes from a different place,” he said.

And that newness likely really stands out for Keefe, someone who will forever be linked to Dubas. They overlapped as a coach-GM tandem with OHL Sault St. Marie, with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and then at the NHL level with the Leafs. Dubas has been present at virtually every stop of Keefe’s career. The idea of working with a new voice will take some adjusting to. But Keefe pointed out Thursday that he’s not completely untested away from Dubas’ friendship and protection.

“I worked with Kyle for a really long time, and he’s been a massive part of my career, and I’ve grown tremendously working with him,” Keefe said. “He’s done a terrific job to put our organization in a good spot. Yet I’ve also worked without him at different times along the way, and I’ve enjoyed those times as well. Whether it’s Kyle Raftis at the time Kyle (Dubas) left the Soo. Or when Kyle went to the Leafs and I worked with Laurence Gilman with the Marlies. I enjoyed those times as well. I reflect positively on the work that we did in those years too. So with how things have played out here, I’m happy Kyle’s landed on his feet in a good spot. He seems happy. And then for us, fresh perspective, working with new people thus far has been really good for me.”

Keefe actually sees plenty of similarities between Dubas and Treliving; he describes them both as personable, respectful, sensitive to others’ needs. There’s a chance they find themselves working in lockstep before long. At the same time: there’s still so much shaping to do before we understand who the 2023-24 Maple Leafs even are. Matthews’ and William Nylander’s extensions loom; they’re eligible to sign starting July 1. The Leafs still have to fill out their coaching staff after Spencer Carbery departed to take over as head coach of the Washington Capitals. Treliving will soon put his stamp on the team with whatever roster additions he plans on making in the coming days.

And that’s why Keefe expresses understanding about not having an extension in place.

“We’ll see how that will play itself out,” Keefe said. “When Brad informed me that I’d be back, he said we’ll talk about an extension. There’s a lot of things on his list right now, and I understand that when the time is right we’ll take some time to talk about it, see what works for both the organization and myself and go from there. But now my focus is on the process of continuing to get to know Brad.”

Maybe Keefe does get that extension later this summer. Or maybe he was delivering a poker-face statement as a coach who won’t be granted any additional runway during the final season of his contract. We can’t know for sure, and perhaps Keefe doesn’t yet either.

But for now? A stay of execution and another shot to coach the Leafs. Keefe is thrilled about that opportunity.

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Sheldon Keefe’s second chance with Maple Leafs: ‘I look at it like it’s a new position’

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