Quoting: LeafsFanForSomeReason
I get people like to blame the coach, but there's really no evidence that he did nothing.
Like he can't overhaul the system mid-period. It's up to the players to execute that system and make the right decisions out there on the ice, which they very, very did not.
I'm sure he's not standing on the bench with his thumb in his ass going "gee I don't know what's going on here, just keep doing the same thing fellas"
I agree that at times Sheldon is an easy target but having played to a high level I can say from what I see he is a really bad coach.
I'll give you a few reasons why I think this:
1. A common problem I see with the leafs (especially on the PP and in transition) is that they overthink everything. Their PP id actually at its best when individuals are chasing stats because then at least everyone is feeding Matthews or Knies or Bert or whoever is chasing the milestone/hatty/etc. I blame Keefe for this. If you read any "behind the scenes" on Keefe he's a massive strategists and he's know for studying other games, teams, sports and constantly proposing new ideas but rarely acting on them. Essentially the way he coaches (loads of thinking and strategizing with minimal action) is exactly how the team plays on the ice.
2. Team doesn't show up on time or for big games. Having played AAA to the point where teammates respect each other more than the coach (likely the situation in the Leafs room) one of the main things a coach needs to still be capable of doing in that environment is motivating the team. If he losses that control/respect then he is reliant on team members to do this. Some teams (like the early 2010s rangers had a strong leadership core and this was fine) but the Leafs don't have that and if Keefe isn't doing it then it seems nobody is (maybe this is changing we've seen Tavares and Rielly specifically be more engaged this year).
3. Lack of adjustments. O'Reilly essentially called him out for it last year but Keefe defaults back to certain players and combinations when the team struggles. Despite all his strategizing he doesn't rearrange his team to meet the tasks at hand, he rearranges them to what worked in the past. If things go south you'll see Rielly/Brodie, Mathews/Marner, Jarnkrok in the top 6, Lili's ice time down. This is just his default and it shouldn't be. He should be more flexible and adapt based on what is needed to win. Maybe that means that the Leafs trust their bottom 9 is better than Bostons given their depth issues so they load up Nylander/Matthews/Marner to make sure they win the top line matchup. Idk what the series will need but I'm pretty confident Keefe won't deliver.