TORONTO—Sheldon Keefe is out as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, fired Thursday after another early exit from the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs.
The move had been expected after Toronto lost to rival Boston in Game 7 last weekend, the fourth time in five years under Mr. Keefe that the team has lost in the first round. The Maple Leafs rebounded from a 3–1 series deficit before losing the seventh game, and have won just one playoff series since Mr. Keefe took over in November 2019.
“Today’s decision was difficult,” General Manager Brad Treliving said in a statement. “Sheldon is an excellent coach and a great man. However, we determined a new voice is needed to help the team push through to reach our ultimate goal.”
In a video message posted on social media, Mr. Keefe said he was forever grateful for the opportunity to coach the Maple Leafs, which he called “a dream come true for a boy from Brampton,” his hometown outside Toronto. He also acknowledged how the results were not exactly what he dreamed up.
“I didn’t get it done in the playoffs,” Mr. Keefe said. “I didn’t help push our team over the line and deliver. I accept responsibility for that. No excuses. That’s the job. I didn’t get it done. It’s the reality of the business, and I accept it.”
After the league’s 19th coaching change since the end of the 2022–23 season, the team said the search for Mr. Keefe’s replacement will begin immediately. Mr. Treliving and other members of management are expected to address reporters Friday about the coaching change and other end-of-season topics.
Mr. Keefe, 43, joined the organization in 2015 as coach of the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies thanks in large part to his junior-hockey connection to Kyle Dubas, then the Maple Leafs’ assistant general manager. Mr. Dubas was subsequently promoted and spent five seasons as general manager before being fired last year. Mr. Keefe replaced Mike Babcock when Mr. Dubas fired him weeks into the 2019–20 season.
What followed were some excellent regular seasons and trips to the playoffs, without much else. Coached by Mr. Keefe and with a core led by highly paid forwards Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares, and defenseman Morgan Rielly, the Leafs went 16–21 in the postseason.
Earlier this week, Mr. Keefe said that while he accepts responsibility for expectations not being met, his confidence in the group’s—and his own—ability to succeed was at an all-time high.
“Now more than ever, I believe in myself and our team,” Mr. Keefe said then. “That I will win, and our team will win.”
That winning in Toronto, if it happens, will be under a different coach. Among the experienced options available are Craig Berube, who won the 2019 Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues, veteran Bruce Boudreau, former Minnesota Coach Dean Evason, and former Los Angeles Coach Todd McLellan.
