In this edition of Toronto Maple Leafs News & Rumors, I’ll take a look at what some hockey analysts suggest the meaning of Sheldon Keefe’s contract extension might be. Second, I take a look at the team’s competition in the Atlantic Division this season. It would seem as if the Maple Leafs should be the odds-on favorites to win the division; but, will they?
Third, I’ll look at former Maple Leafs player Phil Kessel’s willingness to embrace a depth role with a team to continue to play in the NHL – somewhere. The word is that he would put his impressive NHL Ironman streak aside and contribute in a reduced capacity for the chance to play.
Item One: Why Was Sheldon Keefe Extended, Why Does It Matter?
Last week, the Maple Leafs re-signed Keefe to a two-year extension. Now questions are being raised about whether it reflects a vote of confidence in his leadership or whether the team simply wanted to ward off any possibility that he would have become a distraction.
Related: 10 Reasons Hockey Is the Greatest Sport on Earth
According to Mike McKenna of Daily Faceoff, the move might have been more about avoiding any potential distractions associated with having Keefe in the final year of his contract. Whether that’s correct or not, logic would suggest that he will be given through the postseason before any decision is made about his future with the team. But that would have been the case either way.
The facts are well known. Under Keefe’s coaching, the Maple Leafs have an impressive 166-71-30 record during the regular season. However, their postseason performance has been less stellar, with a 13-17 record. This discrepancy between regular season and playoff success has made some fans and hockey analysts skeptical about Keefe’s ability to carry his team far in the playoffs.
This extension means that Keefe will coach the upcoming season under the final year of his previous two-year contract. The new deal will take effect starting in the 2024-25 campaign. It represents a commitment from the organization; however, that commitment might not last long if the team fails to make the playoffs or gets dumped early.
While there might be an element of avoiding distractions with the extension, the real issue is playoff success. Clear vote of confidence or not, it would seem that Keefe’s long-term tenure as head coach would be in jeopardy if he can’t win in the postseason.
Item Two: Will the Maple Leafs Win the Atlantic Division Easily?
Speaking of winning, looking forward to the regular season, unless there is a huge surprise the Maple Leafs look good to win the Atlantic Division. The upcoming 2023-24 season seems to suggest a bit of a changing of the guard.
Related: Longest Stanley Cup Droughts
Hockey fans should look for a transition of sorts. Teams that were considered relatively weaker in previous years might be on the rise. As well, former powerhouses might be falling back a bit. That happens over time.
Florida Panthers
For example, the surprise of the Atlantic Division last season was the Florida Panthers. After squeaking into the playoffs and going on an impressive playoff run, the team has encountered injuries and roster uncertainties.
Their blue line is iffy. As well, key players like Matthew Tkachuk, Aaron Ekblad, and Brandon Montour might enter this season still less than 100 percent. The postseason took a toll. Can Sergei Bobrovsky live up to his postseason performance? In my mind, he’s the main reason the Maple Leafs’ offseason was so tempestuous. His stellar play made them look disorganized and impotent as scorers.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been perhaps the most consistently good team over the last few seasons. They’ll continue to be a threat because of just who they are. However, in 2022-23, the team seemed to carefully coast through the regular season trying to avoid injuries. They might assume that strategy yet again this season.
Related: 4 Keys the Maple Leafs Must Address to Beat the Lightning
In addition, they have salary-cap issues like the Maple Leafs and have lost some of their quality depth players this past offseason. Those losses could affect their lineup. Corey Perry, after a few seasons of playing on minimum-level contracts, signed for a year with the Chicago Blackhawks at $4 million. Perhaps he’ll serve as a mentor to Connor Bedard?
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins will be forced to reshuffle their roster this season. They face big changes given the retirement of veterans Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. So far, they haven’t seemed to have found replacements for these key players.
Still, the Bruins regularly pull surprises from everywhere. They are a strong organization with solid leadership. Although the road for them looks tough, that has been the case before. Does that mean that Milan Lucic could have a 35-goal season? He’s had two already in Boston. While that seems unlikely, someone else might jump to the forefront.
Other Atlantic Division Teams
The teams who could surprise in the Atlantic Division are the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, and Detroit Red Wings. Each of these teams is improving every season and should become contenders in the near future. The team among the three that makes the most significant improvements will likely be in the mix in the Atlantic Division race.
I’m betting it’s the Sabres.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
Ex-Maple Leafs player Phil Kessel seems to be sending signals that he wants (desperately?) to continue playing this season. The latest word is that he’s willing to embrace a depth role on any NHL team and would not be worried about sitting the odd game to continue playing.
Related: Remembering Phil Kessel’s Time With the Maple Leafs
He now holds the NHL’s Ironman streak for playing the most games in a row at 1,064 consecutive games played in the NHL. In a sport that beats on players physically like NHL hockey does, his streak is pretty amazing. Like Kessel or not, what he’s done is an amazing accomplishment.
Kessel simply doesn’t want to quit and is ready to adapt and contribute in a reduced capacity. He can still put up points, as he showed last season by putting up 36 points in 82 games with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Good luck to him in finding a place to continue to play.
