If the Leafs were in the Habs' position right now, the criticism surrounding Keefe would be deafening and he might've already been fired like Dom Ducharme was. With the Leafs setting franchise records for wins and points that they will continue to improve upon as the season comes to a close, Keefe deserves a lot of credit for how the team is performing.
What many people tend to forget is that this is Keefe's first full 82-game season behind the Leafs bench. His first season started when he took over half way through November from Babcock, and his second was a shortened 56-game season last year. In his first «three» seasons as the Leafs head coach, Keefe set a franchise record for wins in his first 125 games with 77.
He has not only instilled a more physical style in the Leafs this season, but he has gotten the best out of his stars and has found ways to get them going when they are struggling. He has not been afraid to mix and match his lines and tinker with the roster to see what works and doesn't work and it appears he has a very good idea of the pulse of the team on the ice and in the locker room.
Sure, there are some decisions that us as fans question, but every coach has those types of decisions to make and when they make them, they have more information available to them. Overall, Keefe has been the best coach the team has had in years from a statistical standpoint. He just needs to help the team find the next gear come playoff time. We might be a bit bias, but on top of all the records he and the team have set, the work he has done through injuries to basically his entire roster, and the fact the Leafs have only lost more than 2 games in a row twice all season, a Jack Adams nomination is probably deserved.
