The Toronto Maple Leafs have decided to keep the services of its current head coach.
The NHL club announced Wednesday that it had signed head coach Sheldon Keefe to a multi-year contract extension. The terms were not immediately released.
Keefe was heading into the final year of his current contract. The extension is one of the first big moves made by Brad Treliving, the Leafs' new general manager.
"Since I've joined the Maple Leafs, I've been very impressed with Sheldon," said Treliving. "He has shown great leadership skills with his staff and our players and has a clear vision for this team and where it needs to get to. Sheldon has established himself as one of the top coaches in the league, and I look forward to working alongside him as we head into the upcoming season."
As for Keefe, he's happy to continue guiding the Leafs in a period of stability for the team.
"I'm thankful for the support from MLSE [Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment] and its ownership along with Brendan Shanahan and Brad Treliving, who I've really enjoyed getting to know and work with this off-season," said Keefe. "We have so many great players and people within our organization that I'm grateful to work with, and together our commitment to team success remains steadfast."
Keefe was hired as the Leafs' bench boss in November 2019 after Mike Babcock was fired. He's compiled a 166-71-30 regular season record in his first four seasons. Keefe and the Leafs qualified for the playoffs each time, but they haven't gotten past the second round.
Before coming to the Leafs, Keefe coached their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, for four whole seasons, winning the Calder Cup in 2018. Previously, he coached the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and the junior-A Pembroke Lumber Kings.
