Paul Bissonnette delivers his take on Sheldon Keefe's future as Maple Leafs head coach after 4th consecutive loss

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified Jan 18, 2024 15:40 GMT

Former NHLer and TNT hockey analyst Paul Bissonnette reacted to the Toronto Maple Leafs' 4-2 defeat to the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Tuesday.

The Maple Leafs entered the contest on a three-game skid, two of which were defeats to the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche after taking an early lead.

Against the red-hot Oilers, the Leafs got off to a dominating start, with Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly giving the visitors a 2-0 lead. However, the Leafs went on to squander yet another two-goal advantage, ultimately falling to the Oilers 4-2.

The Maple Leafs' losing streak stretched to four games and they have lost 12 contests after leading this season.

Bissonnette on X, formerly Twitter, expressed his reaction to the team's struggles, acknowledging the disappointment in their recent results.

He mentioned that the team shouldn't fire the coach and that the Leafs have the potential to turn things around. Bissonnette also suggested that making a trade could help improve the team, specifically mentioning the addition of players like Radko Gudas and Chris Tanev on the back line:

"We’re not firing the coach. This can get turned around. Need to make a trade. We should have gotten Zadorov. We need some mutants on the back end. Go get Gudas. Go get Tanev. Just get us some MUTANTS"

After their fourth consecutive defeat, the Maple Leafs (21-13-8) are only a point above the fourth-placed Detroit Red Wings (22-16-5) in the Atlantic Division.

Paul Bissonnette reacts to Mitch Marner's postgame comments

Following the 4-2 loss against the Edmonton Oilers, forward Mitch Marner said that the Leafs aren't frustrated with their recent set of results and suggested the team ignore the outside noise.

Paul Bissonnette agreed with Marner's comments and said he was impressed by his optimism. BizNasty further said that it's wise to wait until the All-Star Weekend to assess the situation and urged people to keep the negativity aside because there's a lot more hockey left to be played this season.

The Maple Leafs will look to bounce back while continuing their trip in the Pacific Division of the West against the Calgary Flames on Thursday.