Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving to Meet with Head Coach Sheldon Keefe Over 'Unique Situation'
Toronto's newest general manager praised Sheldon Keefe's job as head coach and plans to meet with him in the coming days. Calls Keefe "a really good coach".
Brad Treliving has already communicated with Sheldon Keefe and plans to meet with him in the coming days to discuss his future as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
[gallery ids="4914,4915,4916,4917"]
"As I said to him it's a little bit of a unique situation. We can call it whatever we want. We're all big boys here," Treliving said. "He's in a unique situation, but that's the business."
Treliving was introduced in a news conference as the newest general manager of the Maple Leafs on Thursday. The 53-year-old has a long list of players and staff to make decisions on and that includes Keefe, who has one year left on his contract as head coach.
But the early indication is Treliving has liked what he's seen from Keefe, who has 166-71-30 in his four seasons with the club.
"My outside lens of Sheldon. I think he's a really good coach," Treliving said. "My view of determining if he's good, bad, indifferent, you have to work with him and you have to get to know him. I'm coming in with no preconceived notions."
Treliving is no stranger to inheriting a head coach and letting him stick around. He cited leaving Bob Hartley on as head coach of the Calgary Flames when joined the club in his first season as general manager. Hartley went on to win the Jack Adams Trophy as coach of the year in Hartley's first year under Treliving.
"I look at a group of skilled players that got better at checking and defending and those things that you need to win, Treliving said of the players under Keefe.
"We're going to sit down and try to do it as thoroughly as possible and come to a conclusion."
Keefe had been identified as a person of interest in reports linking him to the New York Rangers.
Related