With former Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds general manager Kyle Dubas holding it down in the front office, it was only a matter of time before the Toronto Maple Leafs were linked to Sheldon Keefe in their pursuit to overhaul the organization’s coaching staff.
Damien Cox reported during Saturday’s edition of “Headlines” on Hockey Night in Canada that the Maple Leafs will approach Keefe to discuss a potential fit either with the big club or the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
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Cox noted that the Gord Dineen’s staff with the Marlies is still awaiting word on their own future.
Keefe has coached the Ontario Hockey League’s Greyhounds for the past three seasons. Dubas became GM of Sault Ste. Marie at the age of 25 in 2011. The latter joined the Maple Leafs’ front office in 2014 after Brendan Shanahan recruited him to make the jump from his role as a junior hockey executive.
Keefe guided the Greyhounds to a remarkable 54-12-2 record in 2014-15, his first season behind the bench since Dubas departed for the NHL. Dubas is currently acting general manager of the Maple Leafs after Toronto fired the majority of its staff in April.
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The Maple Leafs finished the 2014-15 season with a 30-44-8 record. Randy Carlyle was relieved of his coaching duties in January and Peter Horachek was named interim head coach for the rest of the way.
Cox and Elliotte Friedman also noted that the Leafs have narrowed their general manager search, with Jeff Gorton, Julien BriseBois, Mike Futa, and George McPhee all believed to be targets for Shanahan and Co.
