Keefe slowly winning over the Leafs fan base, according to a recent survey

Keefe was able to coach the Leafs to a franchise best season with a 54-21-7 record and 115 points, good enough for 2nd in the Atlantic Division and 4th in the overall league rankings. Had the Buds shown up for games against Arizona, Buffalo and Ottawa this season, we could very well have seen the Leafs skate their way to a Presidents Trophy and a different first round opponent. But they didn't, and here we are.

While some Leaf fans called for Keefe to be fired after another first round playoff exit, according to The Athletic's Joshua Kloke and his survey, the majority of Leaf fans believe Keefe is the right man for the job.

Kloke posed the question, On a scale of 1-10, what is your confidence level in head coach Sheldon Keefe? And the response was overwhelmingly in favour of Keefe as you can see below, with nearly 70% of fans voting 7 or higher.

1 - 2.2%

2 - 1.8%

3 - 2.8%

4 - 3.4%

5 - 7.8%

6 - 12.4%

7 - 26.0%

8 - 27.0%

9 - 11.6%

10 - 5.2%

As of right now, Leafs fans believe Keefe has the ability to carry the Leafs over the playoff hump. I'm sure when the Leafs go through their struggles in the middle of the season, those numbers will become polar opposites, as they always do. But another strong season from Keefe combined with some playoff success and we could be looking at a coach who is not only adored by fans, but also appreciated around the league for the systems he employs.

A lot of people wanted to dunk on Keefe for stating in the season ending presser that the Leafs received a lot of respect from Tampa in the handshake line after round one, but respect, especially from the league's top hockey clubs, certainly isn't something to take lightly. It means that the progress that the Leafs have made is tangible. Teams like Tampa fear no one. They're a team with nothing to prove at this point. 3 consecutive Cup Finals and back-to-back Cups in the trophy case and trying to make it 3.. If you've earned their respect, you're probably doing something right.