Let’s Give Leafs Head Coach Keefe Credit For Toronto’s Hot Streak

The Toronto Maple Leafs had their five-game winning streak snapped in a 4-3 overtime road loss in Tampa Bay Saturday, but in the bigger picture, they haven’t been beaten in regulation time since Nov. 11, and in that span, their record is a sparkling 8-0-3 record. That’s 19 out of a possible 22 points. That’s not too shabby at all.

And if we’re going to throw laurels the Leafs’ way, we can’t forget about the coaching of Sheldon Keefe. Not so long ago, there was a small mob of people calling for Keefe to be fired, and replaced by a veteran Stanley Cup winner like Barry Trotz. We were skeptical of that notion when it was first floated, and we’re even more secure in now saying that Keefe’s employment with Toronto is not in jeopardy. Indeed, when you really take the time to consider what Keefe has had to battle through this season, you should be considering him for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s best bench boss.

At the start of the year, the Leafs suffered body blows when goalies Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov were sidelined by injury. Cornerstone defenseman Jake Muzzin appeared in only four games before he was severely injured, and he may never return to the lineup this season (or any season, for that matter). Then, reliable blueliner T.J. Brodie got hurt. Then, No. 1 D-man Morgan Rielly was knocked out of the lineup. Toronto has not been at full strength for virtually the entire year, yet here the Leafs are, in second place in the Atlantic Division, capable of beating the best teams in the league on any given night.

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That’s not all Keefe’s doings, of course. If Murray and Samsonov didn’t give them terrific goaltending, the Leafs would be well out of the playoff picture. If star forwards Mitch Marner and William Nylander weren’t having their best seasons yet, the pressure on Toronto’s other skaters would be enormous. Many things have had to have gone right for Toronto to be where they are at the moment.

However, that shouldn’t take away from the great job Keefe has done. When the Leafs were slumping, Keefe didn’t beat his chest like King Kong and grand-stand in front of the media in an attempt to save his job. To the contrary: he has been consistently calm, cool and collective in the public arena, always trying to keep Leafs players comfortable without asking them for less. There has been no pushing of the panic button by Keefe, and that’s something he deserves credit for.

Keefe has tinkered with his forward lines, but all NHL coaches do that. The truly impressive feat of his is his ability to incorporate first-year Leafs defensemen into the lineup. Youngsters Victor Mete and Mac Hollowell, and veteran Jordie Benn all have stepped into NHL action and not been a sinkhole. The ever-changing roster picture could’ve been an excuse for a coach to not generate acceptable results, but Keefe never fell back on that excuse. He has asked the Leafs who are healthy to play a safer, smarter, more patient game, and for the most part, that’s what they’ve given to him.

The coaching profession is a high-turnover profession, and there are always going to be stretches where you think a team would benefit from a new message from a new messenger. But Leafs president Brendan Shanahan and GM Kyle Dubas are showing patience with Keefe, the way Keefe shows patience with his players, and the results on the coaching and playing fronts are very encouraging.

Remember this stretch the next time you hear someone calling for Keefe’s firing. He’s going to have tough portions of the schedule, just as players do. But he’s clearly capable of succeeding at hockey’s highest level.