After months of speculation around whether or not he would be elevated into an assistant’s role with the Maple Leafs, Sheldon Keefe is now officially staying with the Toronto Marlies after news of a two-year contract extension was announced during the Marlies’ end-of-season media availability this morning that he will remain as head coach.
It’s a relatively unsurprising development for the veteran bench boss.
Keefe has never held the position of assistant coach throughout the entirety of his career, only briefly serving as an unofficial “assistant” for the Pembroke Lumber Kings under then-Head Coach and General Manager, Kevin Abrams, back in 2005.