Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe fired after another early playoff exit.
The Toronto Maple Leafs fought back to force overtime in Game 7 after trailing three games to one in their first-round series against the Boston Bruins.
But the bottom line is they lost early in the postseason again, and coach Sheldon Keefe paid the price when he was fired on Thursday, the Maple Leafs announced.
“Today’s decision was difficult,” general manager Brad Treliving said in a statement. “Sheldon is an excellent coach and a great man; however, we determined a new voice is needed to help the team push through to reach our ultimate goal.”
The Maple Leafs, who haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967, said they would begin the search for a new head coach immediately.
Keefe got the Maple Leafs to the second round last season for the first time since 2004, but he also has lost in the first round three times and in the qualifying round in the 2020 postseason bubble after replacing Mike Babcock.
“We’re in the results business here and we didn’t get results and we haven’t met expectations,” he said Tuesday. “As a head coach, I take responsibility for that.”
Keefe received a two-year extension in August that takes him through 2025-26. Toronto finished with 102 points, a nine-point drop from 2022-23, and ran into tough luck in the playoffs with William Nylander missing Game 1-3 and Auston Matthews missing the third period of Game 4 and all of Games 5 and 6.
They played desperate hockey to win Games 5 and 6 behind Joseph Woll, but the goaltender missed Game 7 with an injury. The Bruins won on David Pastrnak’s overtime goal.
