#didnt opt to do stuffy exit interviews but wanted to see them off casually n say goodbye for the season...

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finally watching keefe's entire media availability from the other day and reflecting, and it makes me so sad, lol. love or hate keefe, he was brought in to be the contrast to mike babcock... to be calmer and bring more respect in his interpersonal relationships with the players, and i think he did a great job of that. i don't think he lost the room, i just think the leafs need to see a different kind of coaching... different system... to give them the best chance to advance in the playoffs with the way the team's constructed, but you can't watch that media availability and say he doesn't care or wasn't trying or is a bad temperament to coach this team. his whole approach WAS to listen to the players needs and be a calmer presence, and i've enjoyed that a lot about him. i know some people don't love that he handles accountability player to player differently, but i think that's a mature way to go about it knowing he has different kinds of relationships with them all, and they all care abt the privacy of those methods to different degrees. all of these core guys have had insane seasons being coached by him, and that's not nothing... i'm onboard with the idea that change is needed, but i like keefe a lot as a person, and i think he was a great choice to pivot to post-babcock, regardless of the playoff outcomes. hope he finds success elsewhere in the league if he is gone....