Maple Leafs, head coach Sheldon Keefe agree to contract extension

The Toronto Maple Leafs agreed to a multi-year contract extension with head coach Sheldon Keefe, the organization announced on Wednesday.

Keefe, 42, was entering the final year of his current contract, which was set to expire at the end of the season.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports it’s a two-year contract extension.

???? We’ve signed Head Coach Sheldon Keefe to a multi-year contract extension.

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) August 30, 2023

Keefe was hired by former general manager Kyle Dubas on November 20, 2019, after the firing of Mike Babcock. He previously coached the Toronto Marlies for five seasons from 2015-16 to 2019-20, winning the Calder Cup in 2017-18.

“Coaching this team has been a great privilege, and I’m truly excited at the opportunity to continue building towards our ultimate goal,” said Keefe.

“I’m thankful for the support from MLSE and its ownership, along with Brendan Shanahan and Brad Treliving, who I’ve really enjoyed getting to know and work with this off-season. 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.”

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Through parts of four seasons with the Maple Leafs (267 regular season games), Keefe has coached the team to a 166-71-30 record to rank him sixth in wins in the franchise’s 105-year history.

Under Keefe, the Maple Leafs have qualified for the playoffs five times, advancing past the first round once, losing in five games to the Florida Panthers this past season.

Sheldon Keefe as head coach of the Toronto Marlies in 2018. Photo: TORONTO MARLIES

“Since I’ve joined the Maple Leafs, I’ve been very impressed with Sheldon,” said Maple Leafs general manager Brad 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.”

Treliving and the Maple Leafs revamped the team’s assistant coaches this offseason, bringing in former Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators head coach Guy Boucher and long-time St. Louis Blues assistant Mike Van Ryn. Assistants Dean Chynoweth, Manny Malhotra and goalie coach Curtis Sanford will return.

The Maple Leafs’ roster will also look different next season. Gone are Michael Bunting, Ryan O’Reilly, Alex Kerfoot, Noel Acciari, Justin Holl and Luke Schenn, and in are Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, Ryan Reaves, Dylan Gambrell and John Klingberg, to name a few.

Last week, Treliving and the Maple Leafs announced a four-year, $53-million contract extension with star centre Auston Matthews.