Sheldon Keefe could reportedly join Eastern Conference rival

By the time that the 2023-24 NHL season begins later this fall, the New York Rangers will have their 5th new head coach in the past decade. Now-former bench boss Gerard Gallant is no longer with the team after it was reported that the two sides "mutually" agreed to part ways after their Round 1 seven game playoff exit to the rival New Jersey Devils. 

At the same time, there are rumblings that the Toronto Maple Leafs could potentially be thinking of making a coaching change in the wake of now-former general manager Kyle Dubas' dismissal from the franchise. Team president Brendan Shanahan announced that no decision on head coach Sheldon Keefe would be made until a new GM was hired by the team.

Could Keefe potentially be on the radar of the Rangers? According to Rangers reporter Vince Z. Mercogliano, Keefe could be considered a possibility. 

Additionally, James Mirtle of The Athletic has suggested that Keefe would hold a certain "appeal" for the Rangers if he were to be let go by the Leafs: 

"Dubas leaving the Leafs means the GM who hired Keefe every step of the coach’s post-playing career — from Sault Ste. Marie in the OHL to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies to the Leafs — is gone. Brendan Shanahan will bring in a new GM at some point and Keefe may find himself on the outs then.

Whether the Rangers job is still vacant at that time remains to be seen, but Keefe has a unique combination of progressive thinking and big-market NHL experience now. That could hold some appeal for the Rangers."

If Keefe indeed moves on from the Leafs, would landing in the Big Apple be a sensible destination?