Locker clear-out day generally means two things for hockey players: elimination from the playoffs (for those who got to compete in the postseason) and exit interviews with the bosses. For some teams, it means a one-on-one chat with the general manager, for other teams, the head coach joins in.
What Head Coach Sheldon Keefe Had to Say
Head coach Sheldon Keefe was offered to join general manager Brad Treliving yesterday and declined. In his last press conference for this season, Toronto’s bench boss statement was clear, the elimination is on him. He then said he refused Treliving’s offer to take part in the exit interview because he feels those interviews are a formality, and he preferred casual contact around the facility and the opportunity to see the players off. He added there would be more meaningful conversations during the Summer.
He also explained what he meant when he said opponents were waiting for the Leafs to beat themselves. He meant his team needed to be quick in transition to attack before the opponent had time to install their structure and sit back. Capitalizing on line changes and sequencing can also counter the strategy, but if the structure is set, there’s a need to find a way to get through it and score. Patience is required when playing against a structured team and he felt his players did very well in that department during Games 5 & 6.
The sting of the elimination is still there for him, he maintains his team was one shot away from getting through. He praised Jeremy Swayman, saying the Maple Leafs had to play a “really hot goalie”, but he added they weren’t getting the bounces they normally got in the regular season.
On the positive side, Keefe mentions the Leafs played better defensively and didn’t need as much offense as they usually did to win games. His team has figured out how to play and win tight games, to come from behind, and to show fight as exhibited by Games 5 & 6. He also added:
We’ve got a group of 20 players that, when committed to playing as a group, can have success. We have to be able to stick with that for the long haul.
Both the fans and the coach realized the Maple Leafs really played like a team in the games Auston Matthews missed, no one was MIA and the players all pulled together in the same direction. As for whether he’d be back next season, he said he’s in the coaching business implying he knows a coach’s job is never permanent and it’s out of his control. He’d like a chance to keep going with the group as he feels this is the most positive, he’s been that the team can play playoff hockey.
There was nothing groundbreaking in what Keefe said, it often sounded like he was repeating himself from the past years. I believe he feels the pressure and the real possibility that he might be relieved of his duties. Furthermore, I think this is why he didn’t join in for the exit interviews, hoping the players could plead with Treliving to allow him to keep going and have another go to try to bring a Stanley Cup to Toronto.
What the Players Had to Say
On to the players now, Mitch Marner who caught a lot of heat during the series, mentioned he hadn’t spoken about his contractual situation so far but that his goal was to stay with the Leafs. He loves the city, and the fans and he grew up in Toronto. Being a Leaf means the world to him and he feels the players are almost treated as gods in town, he’s grateful for the love and attention the players get from the fans.
As for the elimination, he mentioned the Bruins do a great job as a five-man unit on the ice and they make it very hard to make plays and to get to their net. He thought the Maple Leafs’ penalty kill did a great job in the last couple of games, but they needed the power play to come through a couple of times, but it didn’t.
The fans expect big changes with the Leafs this offseason and given his three-point production in seven games in the latest series, many are hoping Marner will be the one to be traded. The right winger doesn’t seem to want to move at all and he’s got a no-movement clause in his contract, meaning he won’t be going anywhere unless he agrees to it. I find it hard to believe he would not block a transaction, so I’d be surprised if he were the one to move.
Related: The Maple Leafs Need to Move on From Either Marner or Rielly
Captain John Tavares found it very strange to get up yesterday morning and not have to go to the rink to carry on chasing Lord Stanley’s Cup. He explained the general manager had told the players they have to continue to be better after identifying what they needed to do to achieve it. Just like Keefe, Tavares thought the Leafs were very close to eliminating the Bruins as the margins were very slim. They only had to push through to be on the right side next time. He added that every guy on the team and in the organization was deeply invested and doing whatever they could to not be where we are today.
Tavares also gave a vote of confidence to Sheldon Keefe because each year, he made the team and the players improve. The Leafs’ consistency improved and many players, himself included benefited from his teachings to grow. Asked about the team’s inability to score in the playoffs, he simply stated they all need to be creative with the puck and find ways to score, but he insisted the team was now comfortable with low-scoring hockey, but sometimes, you need to find a way to get things done. Just like Keefe, he thought they only needed one more play.
When asked what was next for him after his current contract, he said he hadn’t thought about it, but he would be open to signing with the Leafs again. He appears confident the core will push through, because after they were so close, losing in overtime of Game 7.
Year in, year out it seems like Tavares is playing the same tape over and over again. After six years in Toronto, he doesn’t appear to be any closer to the goal he had set for himself and the team. His comment about Marner being a “very valuable” player made me chuckle, I know he means an important part of the core, but it could also be seen as being a valuable asset for trade purposes.
Morgan Rielly said the latest elimination hurt even more than the other ones, partly because the game ended in overtime, partly because he was on the ice for the goal, and partly because every year is more challenging than the last one. The defenseman said he is mentally reliving the game-winning goal, but he couldn’t find the words to explain what he was seeing. He also defended Marner, calling him an amazing human and a great hockey player who doesn’t deserve the heat he is getting.
When asked why the group hasn’t been able to achieve its goal, he answered:
That’s a hard question to respond to. It’s not an easy thing to do to go win the Stanley Cup, a lot of players and a lot of teams are trying to do that. There’s lots of things to go through, but for us, we’re not making any excuses. The expectation is to be able to get to that point, so anything short is a failure. I don’t have an answer to your question in terms of why, and that has been the driving force behind the offseason and what we’re trying to do next year and the year moving forward.
Contrarily to the captain and the coach Morgan Rielly acknowledged the fact the Maple Leafs weren’t all that close to the ultimate prize:
I don’t want to stand here and try to tell you we’re on the doorstep of anything, because you know, we’re sitting here today doing this. But the belief is there that it’s attainable, but there’s work and improvement that has to take place. So how close are we? I don’t know, we’ll see. It feels both attainable and a ways away and that’s what drives you as an individual, that’s what drives the team forward, do you have success? We’ll see.
Meanwhile, goaltender Ilya Samsonov is not shy of admitting he has to be better, to make more saves, and to be regular. Do not talk to him about the last goal though, he says he doesn’t think about it because he thinks his decision not to go to the puck was good.
Even though he had a challenging season, he would like to sign in Toronto again. Although, after a few years of uncertainty and one-year contracts, he’d like to get more term to increase his family’s stability.
As for Auston Matthews, he explained why he didn’t play in Games 6 & 7 and why it’s hard to produce offense in the playoffs. He added it’s always disappointing to be doing those interviews when other teams battle on. He also spoke about Marner, saying there’s always a narrative and a scapegoat and that they just helped him through it.
If fans wanted answers for yet another elimination by Boston, they didn’t get many to be honest. Although it was refreshing to see Morgan Rielly say out loud what plenty of fans think. Some of these players always seem to say the same thing over and over, and it stands to reason the front office will have to do something to jump-start its stars in the playoffs.