Keefe to make most of Leafs layoff
What do Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Sheldon Keefe have in common?
All three can’t wait for November.
For Maple Leafs coach Keefe, the pain and humiliation will linger from losing a qualifying-round playoff series that was there for the taking. But the first eight months of 2020 have already provided 20/20 hindsight, helping him set the table for what will be his first full season behind the bench, starting in late autumn.
After waiting for the COVID-19 delayed playoffs to start, Toronto was once more a quick post-season casualty. Its deficiencies against Columbus naturally made people wonder what the coaching staff were doing since March when Keefe and his players prattled on about proving themselves, putting the down time to good use through live chats, pre-scout video, staying in shape, getting back on ice through Phase 2 and eventual full workouts.
“We felt that was very productive,” Keefe said this week. “However, you don’t make substantial change through Zoom calls, a two-week training camp and a five-game series.
“You make it over a full off-season, full training camp, full exhibition and full regular season. To think you just flip a switch in playoffs and play gritty-style hockey, that’s not reality.”
As alternate captain Auston Matthews observed with dry humour in his media exit interview, “We have plenty of time before we play meaningful hockey (again).”
So why not make the most of that? Though Keefe differs in style from predecessor Mike Babcock, they share the 24/7 dedication to prep work. Don’t expect Keefe to stay away from his office too long.
“Am I disappointed in our results? Yes. Am I disappointed we didn’t see enough growth or change? Some of that was probably ambitious on our side. We wanted to do better in that area. But the changes we needed to make within our group are really a mindset that has to happen over the course of this offseason and then from day one of camp.
“Given my five years in the organization (with many of his Marlies graduates on this team), I do have a little more knowledge to how that process has worked. There’s room for growth and that’s where I’m looking to push this team. That sets ourselves up for greater consistency in regular season, which fuels our confidence and ultimately, our performance in playoff situations.”
Matthews, whose quest for 50 goals ended in March when the NHL shut down, followed by six points against the Blue Jackets, also planned to make it a short break before getting back to conditioning and putting his game face on. The Stanley Cup is projected to be awarded in early October, with a brief off-season before NHL camps begin around Remembrance Day.
“I kind of want to get back into it, because all that time off we have, I feel we can make meaningful strides in a lot of different areas,” Matthews said.
Of course, the Leafs as a whole will be altered, given inevitable free-agents departing such as Tyson Barrie, possible trades and at least two newcomers challenging at forward — Nick Robertson and former KHLER Alexander Barabanov.
Once the roster is more certain, Keefe thinks the cycle of an 82-game season will provide him a better chance to mold the Leafs into the two-way team they had hoped would manifest itself against Columbus.
“We (need to show) the confidence of who we are through all of that process,” Keefe said, “to be ready to compete in playoffs; everything from the standings (ideally with home-ice advantage against a low seed) to how we’re playing as a team.”
Matthews wouldn’t upstage management with public thoughts on what’s needed to get the Leafs over the top in terms of ‘killer instinct’ or roster changes, leaving that to Keefe and general manager Kyle Dubas. But turning 23 before next camp, he’ll head back to Arizona with one creed.
“I know everyone in here believes in each other. Our confidence level isn’t feeling high right now, but it should be there. The perception of maybe how things are going or how the team is perceived outside the locker room might be a lot different than what we believe.
“The results in playoffs haven’t shown, but with the players we have and the core group we have, being together four years now, we really believe we’re right there.
“I’ll be honest, we don’t really care what other people think or write about all the things we need. I think our management, our staff and this organization, believe. We’ll power through this adversity and break through eventually.”