After months of speculation, the long-rumoured extension for Sheldon Keefe was finally handed out to the 42-year-old on Wednesday.
In short, the former Leaf, who’s been Toronto’s bench boss since November 2019, finally got some much-needed job security. He was about the enter the final year of his contract in 2023-24. Having said all that, Keefe’s job is any more secure than it was say 24 hours ago. The Maple Leafs are as rich as they come; money is not a problem. If things go awry or Keefe doesn’t perform to their liking, there’s no question Brad Treliving and company wouldn’t think about pulling the trigger.
At any rate, with Jay Rosehill on vacation for a few days, I got together with Sportsnet’s Luke Fox to dissect the big news. For what it’s worth, I think Treliving should be commended for taking his time with this decision. It was a lengthy process, that’s for sure. Again, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really mean much —one way or another.
Furthermore, we also talked about what this means long-term for the Maple Leafs and their core pieces. At some point in time, the onus has to be firmly on the players, right? To me, this reminds me a lot of the Tampa Bay Lightning continuing to double down on Jon Cooper. And we all know how that played out. Jared Bednar in Colorado is another example. Those two highly reputable organizations could’ve fired those two outstanding coaches at a few different times and chose to ride with them. For now, the Leafs are following that path. Let’s hope it works out!
Anyway, in a few short weeks, Leafs Morning Take will be back in its full glory. We’re excited for season No. 2! For now, don’t forget to subscribe, like, and leave us a review wherever you’re checking us out.
