Takeaways From the Maple Leafs’ Locker Clearing Out Day
Locker clear-out day generally means two things for hockey players: elimination from the playoffs (for those who got to compete in the postseason) and exit interviews with the bosses. For some teams, it means a one-on-one chat with the general manager, for other teams, the head coach joins in.
What Head Coach Sheldon Keefe Had to Say
Head coach Sheldon Keefe was offered to join general manager Brad Treliving yesterday and declined. In his last press conference for this season, Toronto’s bench boss statement was clear, the elimination is on him. He then said he refused Treliving’s offer to take part in the exit interview because he feels those interviews are a formality, and he preferred casual contact around the facility and the opportunity to see the players off. He added there would be more meaningful conversations during the Summer.
He also explained what he meant when he said opponents were waiting for the Leafs to beat themselves. He meant his team needed to be quick in transition to attack before the opponent had time to install their structure and sit back. Capitalizing on line changes and sequencing can also counter the strategy, but if the structure is set, there’s a need to find a way to get through it and score. Patience is required when playing against a structured team and he felt his players did very well in that department during Games 5 & 6.
The sting of the elimination is still there for him, he maintains his team was one shot away from getting through. He praised Jeremy Swayman, saying the Maple Leafs had to play a “really hot goalie”, but he added they weren’t getting the bounces they normally got in the regular season.
On the positive side, Keefe mentions the Leafs played better defensively and didn’t need as much offense as they usually did to win games. His team has figured out how to play and win tight games, to come from behind, and to show fight as exhibited by Games 5 & 6. He also added:
We’ve got a group of 20 players that, when committed to playing as a group, can have success. We have to be able to stick with that for the long haul.
Both the fans and the coach realized the Maple Leafs really played like a team in the games Auston Matthews missed, no one was MIA and the players all pulled together in the same direction. As for whether he’d be back next season, he said he’s in the coaching business implying he knows a coach’s job is never permanent and it’s out of his control. He’d like a chance to keep going with the group as he feels this is the most positive, he’s been that the team can play playoff hockey.
There was nothing groundbreaking in what Keefe said, it often sounded like he was repeating himself from the past years. I believe he feels the pressure and the real possibility that he might be relieved of his duties. Furthermore, I think this is why he didn’t join in for the exit interviews, hoping the players could plead with Treliving to allow him to keep going and have another go to try to bring a Stanley Cup to Toronto.
What the Players Had to Say
On to the players now, Mitch Marner who caught a lot of heat during the series, mentioned he hadn’t spoken about his contractual situation so far but that his goal was to stay with the Leafs. He loves the city, and the fans and he grew up in Toronto. Being a Leaf means the world to him and he feels the players are almost treated as gods in town, he’s grateful for the love and attention the players get from the fans.
