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Maple Leafs Fire Sheldon Keefe

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have relieved head coach Sheldon Keefe of his duties this morning after their latest first-round exit in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The team will begin a coaching search immediately and has not named a replacement. Toronto was eliminated by the Boston Bruins on Saturday night in a 2-1 overtime loss after they had finished the regular season 46-26-10.

Keefe coached the Maple Leafs for five seasons and reached incredible levels of regular season success with the team but was never able to get the group over the hump, winning just one playoff round during his term behind the bench. Keefe’s firing comes before his extension from last August has even started. Keefe signed a two-year deal with the Maple Leafs last summer and coached this season under his previous contract. Keefe finished his career with the Maple Leafs as the fifth-winningest coach in team history with a record of 212-97-40 record. Despite their playoff failures, the Maple Leafs are currently tied for the longest active playoff streak in the NHL, and while that is an accomplishment in a vacuum, the Maple Leafs have lost in the first round in seven of the eight playoff appearances.

Keefe first began working with the Maple Leafs in the AHL eight years ago becoming the head coach of the Toronto Marlies. Then under Kyle Dubas, Keefe took over after the firing of Mike Babcock in 2019. Keefe and Dubas were intertwined throughout their respective careers having worked together for the Ontario Hockey League’s Soo Greyhounds. His departure marks a second massive move in consecutive summers for Toronto. The Maple Leafs let Dubas go last May and brought in former Calgary general manager Brad Treliving. Despite the change in management, it was more of the same for Toronto this season, as the core remained largely intact under Treliving and the team bowed out of the playoffs early.

The Maple Leafs announced on Monday that Brendan Shanahan, Treliving and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley will have an end-of-season press conference tomorrow, after originally saying that management would speak today. The delay in the media appearance led to speculation this week as to what management would do with Keefe going forward, with many predicting that the Maple Leafs would move on and find a new bench boss, despite the term left on Keefe’s contract.

NHL Announces Ted Lindsay Award Finalists

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The National Hockey League has announced the three finalists for the 2024 Ted Lindsay Award given to the most outstanding player in the NHL as voted on by the players. The finalists are Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, and Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Connor McDavid was last year’s winner and Matthews previously won the award in 2022. Kucherov and MacKinnon are both finalists for the Hart Trophy as well.

Kucherov was the NHL’s leading scorer this season, tallying 44 goals and 100 assists in 81 games. His 144 points were the highest total ever for a Lightning player surpassing his own record of 128 points in 2018-19. Kucherov has already taken home the Art Ross Trophy for the most points in an NHL season and previously won the Ted Lindsay Award back in 2019, along with the Hart Trophy.

MacKinnon’s presence was of massive importance to the Avalanche this season as they dealt with a slew of injuries to key players. MacKinnon played in every regular season game and finished with 51 goals and 89 assists for 140 points, all of which were career-highs. It was the second consecutive season that the 28-year-old has topped 100 points.

Finally, Matthews had an incredible season leading the league with 69 goals and setting a career high with 107 points. On top of his goal-scoring prowess, Matthews also took on increased responsibility on the penalty kill playing nearly 58 minutes of short-handed ice time compared to just 3:29 for the whole season a year ago. Matthews increased defensive awareness led to him also being nominated as a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, given to the League’s best defensive forward.

The winner of the award will be announced in late June.

Maple Leafs Notes: Samsonov, Giordano, Brodie

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David Alter of The Hockey News writes that Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov is looking for stability on his next contract after working under a one-year deal for the last few seasons. The 27-year-old is an unrestricted free agent this summer and will be seeking a multi-year commitment on his next deal. Whether or not he will command more than one year remains to be seen as his body of work was unsteady in 2023-24. While he did rebound towards the end of this season from a poor start, he’s just a few months removed from passing through waivers unclaimed.

Samsonov didn’t have a great year despite what his record will tell you. He posted a 23-7-8 record but his save percentage was just .890 and his goals-against average ballooned almost a full point to 3.13.

The goaltending market is weak this summer and this will work in Samsonov’s favor, making it unlikely that he will return to Toronto, particularly after the Maple Leafs were unwilling to commit multiple years to Samsonov last summer after he had a strong first year with the team.

In other Maple Leafs notes:

  • Pending free agent defenseman Mark Giordano is keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to his future plans (according to Joshua Kloke of The Athletic). The oldest active player in the NHL last season wouldn’t fully comment on Kloke’s questions about whether he plans to retire or keep playing, instead, he simply stated, “It’s a pretty great lifestyle.” Giordano became the eighth defenseman for Toronto and was a healthy scratch for a big portion of the season, dressing in just 46 games and not seeing the ice in the playoffs. Luke Fox of Sportsnet writes that he believes Giordano will announce his retirement this summer, but that remains speculation at this point.
  • Sportsnet’s Luke Fox doesn’t believe that the Maple Leafs will try to retain defenseman T.J. Brodie as he approaches unrestricted free agency. Brodie started the season near the top of Toronto’s depth chart but slid down the list as the season wore on and became a healthy scratch towards the end of the year. General manager Brad Treliving reportedly didn’t engage in extension talks with Brodie and seems primed to let him walk into free agency for a second time after he let Brodie go while he was the GM of the Calgary Flames. At 33, Brodie is not the defender he once was, but he could still be an effective player in the right situation as a bottom-pairing defenseman. Brodie had a goal and 25 assists in 78 games last season while averaging almost 22 minutes a game. His even-strength analytics fell off considerably, particularly his high-danger chances against. Brodie spent roughly 40% of his shifts against opponents’ top lines and struggled in those minutes but could still fair very well against mid-tier opponents or the bottom of opposing teams’ lineups.

Eastern Notes: Forbort, Devils, Maple Leafs

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Boston Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort returned tonight for Boston taking Kevin Shattenkirk’s spot in the lineup. The 32-year-old Forbort was recalled two weeks ago from an LTI conditioning loan in which he played two AHL games and hasn’t played an NHL game since March 2nd due to an undisclosed injury.

The Duluth, Minnesota native posted four assists in 35 games with the Bruins this season, his third year with the team since signing a three-year deal as an unrestricted free agent in July 2021. The former first-round pick won’t put up much offense from the backend but will add a physical element for the Bruins, something that they are sure to need when they take on the Florida Panthers in the second round.

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Jonathan Bailey of New Jersey Hockey Now is reporting that the New Jersey Devils had detailed talks with former Stanley Cup champion head coach Craig Berube regarding the Devil’s head coaching vacancy. The 58-year-old Berube won the Stanley Cup with the Blues during his first season behind the bench in 2019 and was fired this past December after a 13-14-1 to start the season. He previously coached the Philadelphia Flyers for two seasons before an extended run in the AHL. The Devils also reportedly engaged in conversations with former Kings bench boss Todd McLellan.
  • David Alter of The Hockey News is reporting that the Maple Leafs Sports And Entertainment President Keith Pelley, Toronto Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan, and general manager Brad Treliving will now speak with the media on Friday instead of Thursday. While the scheduling change is a minor time and date change, it is sure to create additional speculation about what the Maple Leafs will do this summer. The Maple Leafs have won just a single playoff series since Shanahan took over the team back in April 2014, and have had three different general managers and two head coaches during that time. There is no indication as to what will be said during Friday’s press conference, but speculation is sure to heat up over the next 72 hours.

Marner Wants To Remain In Toronto Long-Term, Bertuzzi Open To Staying

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The Florida Panthers have added forward Patrick Giles to their playoff roster after recalling seven other players earlier today. Giles will effectively serve as one of the Panthers’ black aces and will practice with the team throughout their current playoff run. Giles recently completed his third season in the AHL with Florida’s AHL affiliate the Charlotte Checkers and will join many of his teammates in Florida.

Giles was an undrafted free agent signing out of college after spending four seasons with Boston College. The 24-year-old hasn’t produced much offensively at any level dating back to his junior days. This season with the Checkers, Giles posted 13 goals and 10 assists in 66 games in what was his best offensive season at any level in the past decade.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

  • NHL Insider Chris Johnston tweeted today that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner remains insistent that his desire is to remain a member of the Maple Leafs long-term. Much has been made of Marner’s play in the recent playoff losses, but the 27-year-old remains one of the top point producers in the league. The chatter around Marner is likely to heat up as Toronto is coming off another disappointing playoff exit, and his situation is further complicated by his contract status. Marner has one year left on his current deal at a cap hit of $10.9MM and is eligible to sign an extension on July 1st. The Markham, Ontario native had a bit of a down year this season, failing to hit 90 points for the first time in three seasons.
  • David Alter of The Hockey News tweeted today that Maple Leafs forward Tyler Bertuzzi told reporters that he would be open to extending his contract with Toronto beyond this season. Bertuzzi is an unrestricted free agent this summer after signing a one-year $5.5MM deal with the Maple Leafs last July. Bertuzzi hit the 20-goal mark for the fourth time in his career but likely didn’t have the season he was hoping for despite playing a career-high 80 games. The 29-year-old tallied 21 goals and 22 assists with Toronto and should receive a multi-year contract this summer after settling for a one-year deal in his first trip through free agency.

Afternoon Notes: Faksa, Demko, Kampf

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The Dallas Stars will be adding forward Radek Faksa back to the lineup ahead of Sunday’s Game 7, head coach Peter DeBoer confirms to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Faksa was injured late in Game 2, leaving with an injury that remains undisclosed. He’s been a game-time decision in all four games since – finally getting upgraded to game-ready this weekend. Faksa is coming off his second 19-point season in the last three years and hasn’t been able to change his stat line in two postseason appearances so far.

Faksa’s return will bump young winger Ty Dellandrea back out of the lineup. The 23-year-old has scored one goal in four appearances this series, adding to the three goals he managed in 15 playoff games last season. Interestingly, he’s still searching for his first postseason assist. He’ll now move to a skybox that will also feature Mason Marchment, who DeBoer confirmed remains out with an undisclosed injury. While Faksa’s return is timely ahead of a Game 7 that’s sure to be gritty, it’s the 20-goal-scoring Marchment that could bring substantial reinforcements in Round 2. He has one goal in two playoff games so far this Spring.

Other notes from around the league:

  • To no surprise, Vancouver Canucks head coach has ruled Vezina-finalist Thatcher Demko out of the second round’s Game 1, per Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor (Twitter link). Demko is missing time with a knee injury suffered ahead of the first round’s Game 2. He carries a week-to-week designation and isn’t expected to return any time soon, although he is traveling with the team. Arturs Silovs has risen to notoriety in Demko’s place, posting his first career shutout in the series-clinching Game 6. Silovs should remain Vancouver’s starter until Demko is ready to suit up again. He’ll be backed up by Casey DeSmith and Nikita Tolopilo.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Kampf has been added to Team Czechia’s roster ahead of the 2024 IIHF World Championship, shares the team (Twitter link). Kampf’s season just came to a close, as Toronto was bested by the Boston Bruins in Game 7. Kampf posted just one goal in seven playoff appearances – matching his measly 19 points in 78 games during the regular season. He’ll have to put that tough loss behind him, now headed towards his second appearance at Worlds. Kampf previously posted three points in six games during the 2022 World Championship.

Atlantic Injury Notes: Bruins, Bennett, Nylander

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The Boston Bruins will get reinforcements in their upcoming series against the Florida Panthers, with general manager Don Sweeney sharing that he expects both Andrew Peeke and Danton Heinen to return from injury in the Second Round, per Conor Ryan of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). Peeke suffered a finger injury in Game 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, sitting out of the third period and earning a week-to-week designation. Heinen has been recovering from an undisclosed injury and was designated as a game-time decision in Game 7, ultimately sitting out. Sweeney shared that the team is still waiting to see each player’s exact timeline.

Injuries put Boston’s depth to the test in the First Round – and the fill-ins came up strong. Rookie defenseman Mason Lohrei was the most impressive addition, recording one assist and looking well-adjusted to playoff pace in the first five Stanley Cup appearances of his career. He won out Peeke’s role over Derek Forbort, who is himself recovering from injury. Lohrei should remain the team’s go-to replacement, though he’ll need a strong start in Game 1 if he wants to fight for a role when Peeke returns. Justin Brazeau has stepped in for Heinen, also recording one assist in his three postseason games so far.

Other injury notes from around the Atlantic Division:

  • Florida Panthers’ centerman Sam Bennett is progressing from injury, with head coach Paul Maruice upgrading him to a day-to-day designation per David Dwork of The Hockey News (Twitter link). Maurice added that Bennett is progressing better than he was expecting, though he’ll still be out for Game 1 of the Second Round. Bennett suffered an upper-body injury in Game 2 against the Maple Leafs, reportedly sustaining the injury on a blocked shot. He left the ice after just 7:42 in ice time, though he made sure to leave his mark on the series – recording two points in Game 2 prior to leaving. His absence opened the door for Steven Lorentz to step back into the lineup. Lorentz has recorded two points in four postseason games – enough for Florida to get by the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the Panthers will surely be excited to get back the strong depth scoring Bennett brings.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander has finally revealed the ailments that held him out of the first three games of Round One, saying that he was struggling with “head issues and eye migraines” and adding that he was struggling to see at times, per Sportsnet’s Luke Fox (Twitter link). Nylander returned for the final four games of Toronto’s season, recording three goals before being bounced by the Bruins. He had a career-year, scoring 40 goals and 98 points in 82 games. With the off-season now in front of him, Nylander will need to focus on nursing a migraine issue that’s followed him for the last two seasons.

NHL Announces 2024 Selke Trophy Finalists

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The NHL has announced the finalists for the 2024 Selke Trophy, awarded annually to the forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game. Boston Bruins legend Patrice Bergeron took home the trophy last season, marking his sixth time winning the award.

This year’s Selke Trophy finalists are Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews, Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov, and Carolina Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal.

Barkov is the only former winner of the group, having taken home the Selke in 2021 after not missing a beat during the shortened COVID-19 season. Barkov’s 200-foot impact has been clear throughout his career, with his style rooted in an elite ability to play with more speed, strength, and skill than any of his opponents. Barkov posted a 71.95 Corsi-For per-60 (CF/60) and a 1.99 expected-goals-against per-60 (xGA/60) while cruising to 23 goals and 80 points this season.

While Barkov may be the favorite, Matthews’ nomination may be the most impressive. He had a historic season on the opposite side of the puck, becoming the first player to reach 69 goals since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96. Matthews led all Maple Leafs in scoring with a career-high 107 points in 81 games. But his effort didn’t stop in his own zone, with Matthews still showing a sixth sense for how to get in the way of opponents and steal away possession. While he posted the fewest hits and worst CF/60 and xGA/60 of the bunch, Matthews did record 85 takeaways on the season – more than Staal and Barkov combined, per Evolving Hockey. His ability to consistently make things happen in all three zones could be enough to earn him the edge over the rest.

Staal is the only nominee who didn’t play on his team’s top line this season – instead comfortably manning Carolina’s middle six, averaging 15:23 in ice time through 80 appearances. He proved incredibly stout in the role, serving as the safety net behind flashy wingers Teuvo Teravainen and Seth Jarvis. Staal posted the best statline of the three nominees, with a 76.67 CF/60 and 1.90 xGA/60 – showing just how well he controlled possession and limited opponents’ scoring chances. This nomination marks just the second time in Staal’s 18 year career that he’s been a Selke finalist – despite receiving votes for the award in 15 seasons. His last time as a finalist led to a third-place finish in the 2009-10 season.

The award will be announced at the NHL Awards this summer. That event is still pending a time and location.

Auston Matthews Returns, Joseph Woll Out For Game 7

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6:41 p.m.: Woll is indeed out for Game 7 due to an undisclosed injury he sustained in Game 6, the team confirmed. Samsonov will start as the Leafs attempt to win three straight and advance to the second round. Matthews was cleared to play today and will return, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reports.

5:38 p.m.: The Maple Leafs may be getting generational goal-scorer Auston Matthews back in the lineup for tonight’s Game 7 against the Bruins, as he took morning skate and arrived at the arena with the team’s starters, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. It’s not all good news for Toronto, though, as netminder Joseph Woll may be dealing with an undisclosed ailment and is now questionable after allowing a combined two goals in the Leafs’ Games 5 and 6 wins, per Friedman. Ilya Samsonov would get the start if he’s unable to go; his first since Game 4.

Matthews has not played since the second period of Toronto’s Game 4 loss due to a combination of illness and an undisclosed injury. The Leafs have managed to extend their series without their 69-goal man, winning in overtime on the road in Game 5 and holding on for a 2-1 win in Game 6 thanks to two goals from William Nylander.

While their game on both sides of the puck has undoubtedly improved after going down 3-1 in the series, Woll’s goaltending is the primary reason the Leafs have reached Game 7. The 25-year-old entered the series in the third period of Game 4, relieving Samsonov after he’d allowed three goals on 17 shots. He’s been incredible since, stopping 54 of 56 shots faced across seven periods plus Game 5’s brief overtime. That’s good enough for a .964 SV%, 0.86 GAA and 4.3 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. Woll was 0.1 seconds away from a shutout in Game 6, but a Morgan Geekie shot crossed the goal line just before time expired.

It’s hard to blame Samsonov entirely for the Leafs’ three losses in the series, especially with Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman and his .947 SV% at the other end. But after an inconsistent regular season that ended on a high note, Samsonov has been decidedly below average with a .883 SV%, 3.31 GAA and -1.8 goals saved above expected in the series. Only the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin (-2.4 GSAx) and the Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck (-5.0 GSAx) have cumulatively allowed more rubber below league average given the shot quality they’ve faced.

If Matthews is able to return, there’s no indication he’ll be at 100%. With Toronto’s new-look first line of Max Domi centering Tyler Bertuzzi and Mitch Marner posting better results in the series than Matthews with Bertuzzi and Domi on his wings, he may slot lower in the lineup than usual. While he may not have his normal impact at even strength, Matthews will be an important factor in jumpstarting Toronto’s dreadful power play, which has gone just 1 for 20 (5.0%) in the series. Only the Kings, who failed to convert on their 12 power play opportunities against the Oilers, have fared worse.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Matthews' Availability For Tonight Unknown, McMann Resumes Skating

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The status of Auston Matthews’ availability for tonight’s game seven against Boston won’t be known until closer to puck drop.  However, speaking with reporters today including Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link), head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that they are proceeding as they have been which suggests the league’s top goalscorer is on the iffy side when it comes to playing.  Matthews has missed the last seven periods in the series due to illness although the Maple Leafs have managed to win the last two games to force a deciding match.

  • Still with Toronto, winger Bobby McMann took part in practice today for the first time as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, relays David Alter of The Hockey News (Twitter link). However, he will not play tonight.  McMann was a bright spot for the Maple Leafs this season when it came to their secondary scoring as he picked up 15 goals in 56 games despite averaging less than 12 minutes a game of ice time.

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