How the Maple Leafs’ Sheldon Keefe tells all his haters about it
TORONTO — Not quite a month ago, Sheldon Keefe’s greatest defense came from an unlikely source, an opposing head coach.
John Tortorella came to town at the start of a November no one could have predicted the Toronto Maple Leafs would dominate and felt compelled to voice his support for another bench boss. A man whose job security had been publicly questioned by bewildered fans and pundits over a pedestrian October and Keefe’s rush to kick balls out.
« He’s a great coach, » Tortorella said. « I hope he does to all of you, quite honestly. »
Today, after scoring in 14 of his last 15 outings and climbing to fifth overall, Sheldon Keefe’s best defense is, well, his team’s defense.
Keefe elite player buy-in reaches ’21 crypto levels. A mature us-over-me culture is pushing the club through $19 million in injuries at the back. And general manager Kyle Dubas’ unwavering faith seems to be paying off.
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In other words: Sheldon Keefe tells us all about it.
“There is a lot of belief in the room. We’ve been trying to foster that for some time,” Keefe told reporters. « Trust has become a good place. »
While the Maple Leafs rallied strongly from their disorganized and depressed October, Mitch Marner and Matt Murray and their overloaded blue-line depth absolutely deserve their credits.
But so is the man who pulls the strings and keeps the ship afloat through those turbulent rapids. Just when it looked like things were going to fall apart, Keefe put this piece together.
« A lot of times when people see it, whether it’s getting mad at the officials or expressing concern about certain players or certain groups of players in the team, they think it means that « There’s a little bit of trouble doing it. For me, with the way he’s handled it, it’s all done with a purpose. There’s never anything about him that isn’t helpful, » said Dubas in supporting his coach earlier this month.
« When things aren’t necessarily perfect, he finds a way to be his best and get the most out of the group. The thing for me about Sheldon that was most encouraging to work with him, even though we We’ve been through this season where we’ve had periods where we haven’t played as well: the group responds to him.
« After the road trip to California, where we didn’t finish the trip strong at all, we came back home and were able to get our game back. That, to me, represents how players react to the coach.
« It’s always very encouraging for me to see. He’s always adapting and trying to change the way he does things to make sure he always gets through the group.
Sweeping a four-game road trip in impressive and consistent fashion, Keefe’s side are currently on a radiator. But make no mistake, Coach came out of the gates hot.
More than any other season, we’ve seen him stop drills in training and express his displeasure, sometimes with strong and colorful language. We saw him bench his early season MVP, Marner, for a shift; separating the Hart Trophy champion from his favorite winger; expand practices to instill work ethic; and issue wake-up calls, via its programming tweaks, to Michael Bunting, Justin Holl and Nick Robertson when performances fell asleep.
If there was a hint in October that perhaps his players were abandoning him, no one wondered if Keefe was abandoning them.
“At the same time, he was tough, he was calm. We knew what we could do. We just had to go back,” said William Nylander. « [He was] press these buttons to get back on track.
Captain John Tavares notes how Keefe has a deep understanding of his players’ pulse, a diverse collection of superstars, seasoned vets, emergency callers and fringe role-fillers – 12 of whom are on expiring contracts.
« There’s a lot of trust between him and the coaching staff and the squad here, » Tavares said.
The man with the whistle has raised the bar, demanding better since training camp, and now it’s paying off on a 0.688 point percentage.
The Keefe’s Leafs are a wagon. And yet, they don’t play firewagon hockey.
Far from there.
Even as the only NHL team to field four 25-point scorers, and with Marner lighting up the world and Auston Matthews locating its pace, Toronto still sits in the bottom half of the league offensively (3.04 goals per game, 18th overall).
Believe it or not, the main reason for the Maple Leafs’ success — and Exhibit A in Dubas’s justification for running back his bench boss — is a full-on defensive commitment that has recast once-run-and-gun Toronto, as fourth in the NHL. stingiest team (2.54 goals against per game).
« What has impressed me most watching Toronto lately is their ability to play the right way, » Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde told reporters Monday. “It’s very impressive what they are doing with the D body they lost. They are determined to play the right way.
Keefe only celebrated his third anniversary as a Maple Leafs shooter a week ago and is already the league’s ninth-longest-serving head coach. The small group ahead of him on the seniority list includes holders of six of the last seven Stanley Cups.
Keefe has a better regular season record (.679 percentage points) than all.
Now it’s apparent he’s driving an 82-game dress rehearsal for the one time of year results have eluded him.
There’s a loose parallel to be drawn here with Jon Cooper’s Tampa Bay Lightning, whose offense peaked during the franchise-record 2018-19 regular season and was swept in the first round. This organization has adjusted. He traded goals for goals prevented and won two titles.
Of the seven seasons Matthews, Marner and Nylander have been in the series, the 2022-23 Maple Leafs are poised to become both the weakest and best defensive edition, measured by goals for and against.
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“Focus established team play,” Keefe says. « Discipline to structure. »
That means blocking more rubber, not cheating to extend leads, gumming up the neutral zone, and denying lunge chances. In short, create a climate conducive to the development of goalkeepers — all three.
« We play pretty well in the middle of the rink as a team, » Keefe said. “It gives you a chance to win every game, especially with the goalkeepers we have. And we have good players who can capitalize.
Keefe’s defensive message is transmitted to his players, starting with the most talented among them.
“Nothing is ever achievable in this game on your own,” Marner says. “It’s a five-man unit there at all times. We worked. We just have to make sure it continues.
Memo to Barry Trotz: You may need to postpone your Original Six storyline beyond December.
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