Sheldon Keefe to return as Maple Leafs head coach, says general manager Treliving

Brad Treliving had a high opinion of his head coach from afar.

After a string of meetings — the new general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs estimates 17 combined hours stretched over multiple sessions — he decided Sheldon Keefe was still the person for the job.

At least for now.

Treliving announced Tuesday the 42-year-old will be back behind the team's bench in October, but without a contract extension in hand beyond the one season remaining on his current deal.

"There's a real focus," the GM said of Keefe on Tuesday ahead of the NHL draft. "He's come into this market at a young age, as a young coach ... that's not an easy job. I think he's got a bright mind. He's open to change.

Keefe's status was unclear after the Leafs fired Kyle Dubas as GM, the culmination of a bizarre series of events following the team's second-round playoff exit.

Treliving said at his introductory press conference last month he wanted to get to know Keefe — a Dubas loyalist — before making a decision on his future.

"I firmly believe we're all sometimes better in our second jobs," Treliving said. "You see it with coaches. I think there's a little bit of that [here with Keefe].

"He's worked with Kyle a long time, but sometimes a little bit of new, a little bit of fresh, can help."

Treliving joked that he was worried Keefe, who's been in the job since 2019 and has coached Toronto to consecutive 115- and 111-point seasons with limited playoff success, wouldn't want to stay on after their marathon audiences that included video and tactics.

"Probably about the third day he's like, 'Maybe I don't want to stick around with this guy,"' Treliving deadpanned. "Once I didn't chase him out of there, I thought maybe he'd stick around.

"But I came out of