Maple Leafs make major announcement regarding head coach Sheldon Keefe

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Mike Armenti
August 30, 2023 (12:30)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to check boxes in what has been a very busy offseason. After signing a number of free agents, including Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi, the Leafs also inked Auston Matthews to a 4-year extension that has made him the highest-paid player in the NHL. Now, the team has announced that they've also signed head coach Sheldon Keefe to a two-year extension.

Leafs GM Brad Treliving issued the following statement on Keefe's new multi-year extension:

"Since I've joined the Maple Leafs, I've been very impressed with Sheldon. 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."

In turn, Sheldon Keefe also issued a statement of his own, expressing his excitement to continue his journey in Toronto for at least 3 more seasons:

"Coaching this team has been a great privilege, and I'm truly excited at the opportunity to continue building towards our ultimate goal. 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."

Keefe boasts a monstrous .622 winning percentage since being hired as head coach of the Leafs back in 2019. Keefe's winning percentage is the4th highest in the NHL over that span, behind only the Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes.

As successful as Keefe's tenure in Toronto has been, including a franchise best 111 points in 2021-22, everyone is hoping that the best is yet to come. Keefe coached the Leafs to their first playoff series win since the Pat Quinn era and the hope is that their series win over Tampa in 2023 is just the start of something much, much bigger.