Sheldon Keefe returns as Maple Leafs head coach, says general manager Treliving

Brad Treliving had a high opinion of his head coach from afar.

After a series of meetings — the new general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs estimates 17 combined hours across multiple sessions — he decided that Sheldon Keefe was still the person for the job.

At least for now.

Treliving announced on Tuesday that the 42-year-old will be back behind the team bench in October, but without a contract extension beyond the remainder of his current contract.

“There’s a real focus,” the GM said of Keefe ahead of the NHL draft on Tuesday. “He entered this market at a young age, as a young coach… that’s not an easy task. I think he has a clear mind. He’s open to change.”

Keefe’s status was unclear after the Leafs fired Kyle Dubas as GM, the culmination of a bizarre chain of events following the team’s second-round exit from the playoffs.

Treliving said at his introductory press conference last month that he wanted to get to know Keefe – a Dubas loyalist – before making a decision about his future.

“I’m a firm believer that we’re all better at our second job sometimes,” Treliving said. “You see it with coaches. I think there’s a little bit of it [here with Keefe].

“He’s been working with Kyle for a long time, but sometimes a little bit of news, a little freshness, can help.”

‘This is a real smart boy’

Treliving joked that he was worried that Keefe, who has been in service since 2019 and has coached Toronto to consecutive 115- and 111-point seasons with limited success in the playoffs, wouldn’t want to stick around after their marathon crowd of video and tactics.

“Probably on the third day, he’s like, ‘Maybe I don’t want to stay with this guy,'” Treliving deadpanned. “When I didn’t drive him out of there, I thought maybe he would stay.

“But I came from there and said, ‘This is a very smart guy.'”

Treliving was asked about a range of topics during an extended media availability — his second since he was hired — including contract talks with Auston Matthews and William Nylander.

Treliving said there’s no doubt the organization would want to know their status soon, including whether or not either of them plans to rejoin the Leafs.

“If you know it’s going to rain tomorrow, maybe pack a coat,” he said. “Having clarity always helps. Is it all, the end? You have two sides that are going to play a piece in this puzzle. We would certainly like to [them to sign]. We are definitely trying to work towards that.

“Whether it happens or not… July 1, the world is not standing still. I have every confidence in it.”

Treliving has experience with this type of negotiation from his nine seasons as GM of the Calgary Flames before leaving the organization in the spring.

The hockey world was fixated on the future Johnny Gaudreau last June until the star winger not only turned his back on Calgary, but also signed in stunning fashion with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“We all learn from experience,” Treliving said when asked how that drawn-out saga changed his worldview. “Ultimately you learn everything. Every experience you have, every life course or job, you think you are wiser.

“Maybe you’re avoiding some potholes you got into… you’re better off for the experience.”

Core Four

Treliving was also asked if the team’s so-called “Core Four” of talented, well-paid forwards – Matthews, Nylander, Mitch Marner and John Tavares – are confident they will all start the season in blue and white.

“I don’t think there’s ever any certainty in this business,” he said. “We have very good players. We have two [with] there is still one year contract left that we want to re-sign.

“We’re working on that.”

The Leafs, who traded a lot of capital under Dubas in an effort to overcome nearly two decades of playoff anxiety that finally ended this spring with Toronto’s first series win since 2004, have the 28th roster along with a fifth-rounder.

“It should make a lot of sense for the [28th] get it,” Treliving said. ‘Sometimes you have to put some groceries back in the cupboards.

“Pretty good guess we’re going for 28.”

The coaching situation is now settled – Toronto needs an assistant after Spencer Carbery leaves to take the top job with the Washington Capitals – Treliving’s whirlwind start won’t slow down anytime soon.

“It’s been pretty much Groundhog Day,” he said. “It’s getting up early, it’s going to the office.

“It has been [like] drinking from a fire hose.”