Report: Sheldon Keefe Likely to Receive Contract Extension if he Returns as Head Coach of Maple Leafs
Toronto's bench boss existing contract expires at the end of the 2023-24 season.
Although it's not certain yet if Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe will back behind the bench, one thing that appears clear is that the club will not have him return as a 'lame duck'.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Maple Leafs and Keefe have met twice to discuss the coach's future with the Leafs.
"If he's back, I think we're in a situation where they won't go in with him in his last year, I think there will be an extension if he returns as coach of the Leafs," Friedman said on Saturday during the second intermission of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The 'lame duck' term is used frequently to describe an executive or coach who enters the season without years committed beyond the upcoming season.
Following the Maple Leafs' second-round playoff exit at the hands of the Florida Panthers, the club parted ways with general manager Kyle Dubas. Brad Treliving lauded Keefe's 166-71-30 record in four seasons as the club's coach.
"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."
Dubas entered last season without a contract extension and it became a focal point at various times during the regular season. Team president Brendan Shanahan also detailed a timeline of events that left to his decision not to extend Dubas, including a last-minute counteroffer to return with a different "financial package" and reported changes to reporting structure.
Dubas signed a reported seven-year deal to become the president of hockey operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.
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