Calls for Sheldon Keefe to be fired after disaster in the second round.

The series isn't even over yet but the vultures are already circling, hoping to get their chance to pick at the decaying carcass that appears to be the Toronto Maple Leafs in this second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

On Sunday night, the Maple Leafs suffered their third straight loss at the hands of the Florida Panthers, falling to a 0-3 deficit in the series and putting themselves in a situation where they are staring at what many believe to be an insurmountable deficiit. It was most definitely not the result that the team wanted, but perhaps even more damning than the result was the lifeless effort put forward by Toronto's top stars.

Surely some of the blame for that must fall on the players but when no one seems to be firing on all cylinders at the most critical juncture of the season, fingers quickly get pointed at the head coach.

In spite of the fact that the Leafs are still very much alive in these playoffs there have already been calls for Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe to be fired off the back of this 3 game losing streak. Those calls aren't just coming from angry or upset fans either, but also from prominent figures in the Toronto media. On Sunday, controversial Toronto columnist Steve Simmons argued that, barring a major turn around, Keefe should be out of job.

From Simmons:

You never know what the politics are at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the Leafs’ owners, to fully understand what will come of Shanahan and Dubas. But if the Leafs are swept or even lose in an unimpressive five games, Keefe can’t return as coach.

Keefe is of course firmly attached to Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas who brought in the relatively inexperienced Keefe for his first ever role as a coach in the NHL and you have to wonder how the ouster of Keefe would reflect on the Leafs GM. Dubas in turn is attached to president of hockey operations Brendan Shanahan who promoted Dubas as a first time GM in the NHL, so any consequences for Keefe could reverberate through the upper echelons of the Maple Leafs' organization.