With Brad Treliving set to become general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, there is a growing sense that both he and president Brendan Shanahan are open to having Keefe stay on.

Brad Treliving is set to become the 18th general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs according to multiple reports and there appears to be a growing sense that he is open to having Sheldon Keefe stay on as head coach.

"From what I understand he told them that he's more than willing to consider keeping him," Sporsnet's Elliotte Friedman told host JD Bunkis on Sportsnet 590 The Fan on Wednesday.

When Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan dismissed Kyle Dubas from the general manager position on May 19, he was asked about the status of other personnel including Keefe. Shanahan replied that he felt those decisions should come from the new general manager.

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Friedman said that Treliving doesn't know Keefe and wants to get to know him before making that decision.

"From what I understand, Treliving is open-minded on that issue. He's prepared to meet and talk with Keefe and see if it makes sense," Friedman added.

Shanahan reportedly told prospective candidates for GM that his preference was for Keefe to stay on and none of them openly objected to it.

An official announcement on Treliving's hire by the Maple Leafs is expected Wednesday with a news conference expected for Thursday, according to Friedman.

Instant Analysis

A general manager inheriting an existing head coach is nothing new in sports and in many ways has proven to extend the tenure of an existing general manager. If Treliving does keep Keefe on, he can use the 'bring your own guy' move later in his tenure. The bigger question is do the Maple Leafs go into the upcoming season with Keefe on an expiring contract? His existing deal expires at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Keefe has a 166-71-30 (.678) record over four seasons as head coach of the Maple Leafs. He is 13-17 in the post-season with his only playoff-round victory coming in 2023 when his team defeated the Tampa Bay Lighting in six games in Round 1.

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