'We Want To Get Them As Fast As We Possibly Can': Maple Leafs Express Urgency But Won't Be Rushed Along in Search to Replace Sheldon Keefe
Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving wants to find a head coach rather quickly, but wouldn't reveal who sparks their interest.
The Toronto Maple Leafs needed a new voice.
Those were the words echoed by Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving on Friday morning during the management's end-of-season media availability, which also featured President Brendan Shanahan and MLSE President and CEO Keith Pelley.
Toronto announced on Thursday that the team was relieving head coach Sheldon Keefe of his duties — a couple of months before his new two-year contract with the Maple Leafs had even kicked in.
"This is a really good coach. It's an excellent person. The difficulty of this business is sometimes really good people, and people that are great at their job have to be changed," Treliving said. "And when I look back at the 11 months I spent with Sheldon, the past year, I do consider him an excellent coach. This does not fall at his feet. And by no means do I want it to be taken that by making a change to the head coach position, that all arrows point at Sheldon.
"I had to take into consideration the totality of Sheldon's time here. And I felt, at the end of the day, it was my decision. I felt strongly that a new voice was needed. We had gotten to a place where just a new voice was needed. And that's the unfortunate part of this business."
Keefe, and the entire Maple Leafs organization, had just one first-round series win since he took over for Mike Babcock in 2019. However, it can also be true that Toronto's players, who've been around longer than Keefe, have failed to produce offensively when it's mattered most.
"They understand that we've fallen short. And as Brendan says, there is a time for patience. There is a time in this game when you've got to preach patience. But I think we're at a point where we see this repeatable, and we've got to dig in," Treliving added.
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Several names have been discussed amongst the fanbase of who Toronto's next bench boss should be. At this point, Craig Berube seems to be the frontrunner for the position.
The Maple Leafs have expressed that while they want to be thorough with their head coaching search, there's also a degree of urgency to the process.
"Listen, there's some good coaching candidates out there. We intend to explore them. I'm not going to get into specific individuals. As far as the timeline, we want to be thorough, but we also understand there's other openings," Treliving said.
"So we began [the head coaching search] yesterday. You know, we're not waiting. We're going to be thorough. This isn't something that's going to be hastily done, but we certainly know that there's some quality candidates out there. We want to get them as fast as we possibly can."
Treliving also added that coaching isn't the only area that needs altering. Not only does Toronto's next coach need to push the players in the right direction, but the Maple Leafs themselves need to do what it takes to reach the ultimate goal.
It's essential for the future success of this team.
"It's not just changing the personnel, but understanding why a message may not be getting through. So, our focus right now is trying to find that individual. And there's not just one magic point here. I do think one of the things, as I look at our team, and as we evaluate it over the course of the coming weeks, is we've got to find a way to do the hard, unsexy things longer, and those things don't require skill. Right?" Treliving said.
"There's some things in this sport, in our games, especially this time of year, that are not related to skill, but they help you with it. And that's not to say you've got to give up your skill. You need skill. You need talent. You need that to win. But to me, you need a voice that can bring that up."
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