Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe hints at massive change

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Aaron Itovitch
April 29, 2024 (4:57 PM)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are nothing short of a mess, with an injured Auston Matthews, a major series deficit, and an overall dejection.

William Nylander's return from injury was overshadowed by a fight with Mitch Marner on the bench two nights ago, and Ilya Samsonov's continued inability to make key saves has held the team back.

And with all of this in mind, it appears Sheldon Keefe is ready to make a change - notably in net, as Joseph Woll, who held the fort in the third period of game four is expected to make his first playoff start of the year for game five.

Sheldon Keefe declines to reveal starting goalie for Game 5, but says:

"Special teams & goaltending are two areas that we have to be better in & they're connected in lots of ways"

Joseph Woll didn't stay out late at practice as the back-up tends to do

He did send positivity in the direction of Ilya Samsonov, but it is clear what his intentions were.

"Sammy's done well in the series. He's bounced back at times when we needed him to," Keefe said following the club's practice on Monday. "But there are areas we need to get better in for sure. Getting more saves at critical times is a big part of that. They're obviously getting lots at the other end."

Toronto Maple Leafs analyst Jim Ralph made this statement in favour of Woll:

I'd really think about making a goaltending change...I still believe there's something about Woll and his future, he can come up big in big moments

Whether it is Ilya Samsonov, Joseph Woll, or Curtis Joseph (probably their best option...), the Toronto Maple Leafs are on the verge of elimination from the playoffs. If they don't fix their act quick, they'll have an extended off-season once again, and a lot of people will lose their jobs.

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AVRIL 29 \| 382 ANSWERS Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe hints at massive change Do you think Sheldon Keefe should be fired?
Yes	318	83.2 %
No	64	16.8 %
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