It had to happen. It was merely a matter of when, where, and in which fashion.

The Toronto Maple Leafs fired head coach Mike Babcock on Wednesday, and though it registered as a relative bombshell, it really came as no surprise to anyone with their finger on the pulse of the sport.

What started as a season of great hope in Toronto has been derailed through one-quarter of the schedule - punctuated by a six-game losing streak - and someone had to pay. The coach almost always goes first.

The timing - the team is in the middle of a road trip and there are 59 games remaining in the regular season - isn't especially eyebrow-raising, either. Babcock's seat had gotten increasingly hot, and while it appeared process-driven general manager Kyle Dubas might ride out the storm a little longer, particularly following a solid effort Tuesday in Vegas, he had clearly seen enough. By the end, it was glaringly obvious that club president Brendan Shanahan, not Dubas, hired Babcock.

Now, with Babcock gone, finger-pointers have just two targets: the players and Dubas himself.

Injuries and a difficult fall schedule have played a role, but both parties deserve a large portion of the blame alongside Babcock for the Maple Leafs' ghastly start. The players have often looked lifeless and aimless, and at times on a completely different page than their coach. And Dubas assembled an NHL roster that doesn't look worthy of the endless preseason hype.

Babcock departs with a 173-133-41 record in four-plus seasons behind the Maple Leafs' bench. In the end, he ultimately wore out his welcome. He was too stubborn and simply unwilling to take Dubas' hockey philosophies at face value and adjust accordingly. Even during his final few games, when the club's 25th-ranked points percentage sunk below the .500 mark, Babcock failed to experiment in any grand way.

Toronto, which is arguably a top-five team in terms of talent, has won nine of 23 games this year, scoring the first goal in only five of those contests. Its special teams are dreadful, ranking 18th (power play) and 27th (penalty kill) in the NHL. Defensively, the Maple Leafs are a complete mess, relying too much on bailouts from goalie Frederik Andersen.

In an alternate universe in which the squad lived up to expectations, Babcock could have been headed for dismissal this spring, anyway. Three consecutive first-round playoff exits will put any coach on thin ice.

Keep in mind that Babcock's exit doesn't solve the greater problem in Toronto. He was a contributor, not the sole author of a 9-10-4 record. Both the eye test and the underlying numbers suggest something is seriously off with this club. Babcock didn't play the games or acquire players, so others must find the answers before the season is officially lost.

The promotion of Sheldon Keefe from the AHL Toronto Marlies gives the organization a temporary reprieve, though. This was Year 5 of Babcock's tenure in Toronto and his 17th season overall as an NHL head coach, while Thursday's game against the Arizona Coyotes will be Keefe's debut. There will be some breathing room as the dust settles and the new guy gets comfortable. The 39-year-old has a blank slate and, eventually, can start covering up any systemic flaws.

Keefe is a smart bet, too, and an in-house winner. He and Dubas were successful together in OHL Sault Ste. Marie, and have carried that over to the AHL level. The duo teamed up in 2018 to claim the Calder Cup. Nine current Maple Leafs players suited up for at least one game for Keefe's 2018 Marlies.

There's familiarity and shared values between GM and coach, and Keefe's aggressive, offense-inducing style should blend well with the on-ice personnel at his disposal. Hopefully, he won't try to shove a round peg into a square hole like Babcock attempted for years. Keefe matches the roster.

However, Keefe - while qualified and bursting with potential - isn't flying to Arizona with a new backup goalie or a magical cure for the power-play woes, and he has access to the same defensemen Babcock had - a struggling Morgan Rielly, a beleaguered Tyson Barrie, a much-maligned Cody Ceci, a developing Travis Dermott, an inexperienced Justin Holl, AHL/NHL tweener Martin Marincin, and a frustrated Jake Muzzin.

What he does bring, though, is a new voice, a new face, and a new mind. And that's a start.

John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.

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The NHL Players' Association has filed a grievance challenging the suspension of inactive Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Byfuglien was suspended by the team without pay when he didn't attend training camp in September. He was reportedly considering retirement but it was later revealed that the defenseman underwent ankle surgery to repair unresolved issues from an injury he suffered last season.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice said the decision was "absolutely procedural," and that Byfuglien was aware of that. Winnipeg was dealing with minimal cap room and trying to sign restricted free agents Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine.

However, Friedman reported earlier in November that Byfuglien and the Jets are likely headed to arbitration to resolve the ongoing issue.

"It's emotional, it's heated, and it's likely going to arbitration," Friedman reported. "But, from what I understand, (the Jets) feel in the exit physical at the end of last year, Dustin Byfuglien was deemed fit to play. He didn't let anyone know that he had injuries with his ankle all summer, and made it clear at the beginning of the year he was ready to retire.

"However, Byfuglien - his representatives at Octagon and I assume the players' association, too - their position is Byfuglien was hurt going into the playoffs, everybody knew that, he was playing injured, he took all summer off to heal, he went to Winnipeg because he planned to play, his ankle acted up again when he started skating, and they feel it's a legitimate hockey injury."

If Byfuglien was deemed unhealthy due to a hockey-related injury and placed on long-term injured reserve, he could collect his $8-million base salary while recovering.

Byfuglien's recovery from surgery is expected to carry into the new year. His contract expires at the end of the 2020-21 campaign.

The 34-year-old led the Jets in ice time last season and recorded 31 points in 42 games.

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Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan provided some clarity on the organization's decision to fire head coach Mike Babcock on Wednesday.

"When you think that you know what the right decision is, you have to act on it," Shanahan told the gathered media Wednesday, per TSN. "I think that waiting at this point would have been the wrong thing."

Shanahan brought Babcock to Toronto in May 2015, signing him to an eight-year, $50-million deal. Despite finding regular-season success, the Maple Leafs were unable to escape the first round of the playoffs in each of the last three campaigns. The team's slow start this year sealed Babcock's fate.

"(General manager) Kyle (Dubas) and I are in constant communication. I think that it really just came down to the last couple of weeks," Shanahan added. "We spoke in the last 48 hours again, and I just felt that it was something that needed to be done, and Kyle felt the same way."

The Maple Leafs have lost their last six games and sit in fifth place in the Atlantic Division with a 9-10-4 record.

"Our game is not really meeting our expectations," Shanahan continued. "We're mistake-prone on defense, the attention to details aren't there. Even the explosive offense our team was known for has been missing for a while now."

Sheldon Keefe will take over as the Leafs' new head coach. The 39-year-old has served as head coach of the AHL's Toronto Marlies since 2015, leading them to a Calder Cup title in 2018 and an overall record of 199-89-22-9.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs fired head coach Mike Babcock on Wednesday and named Toronto Marlies boss Sheldon Keefe as his replacement.

"Over the past five seasons, Mike has played an integral role in changing the direction of our franchise," president Brendan Shanahan said in a statement.

"Mike's commitment and tireless work ethic has put our organization in a better place and we are extremely grateful and appreciative of the foundation he has helped us build here."

Toronto, which came into 2019-20 with Stanley Cup aspirations, lost its sixth consecutive game Tuesday night in Vegas and fell to 9-10-4 on the season. On Wednesday, Shanahan flew to Arizona, where the club plays its next game, and joined general manager Kyle Dubas to inform Babcock of the decision, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

The disappointing start has come after a summer of major roster turnover. Among other moves, Dubas acquired Tyson Barrie and Alexander Kerfoot in a blockbuster trade that sent longtime Maple Leaf Nazem Kadri to the Colorado Avalanche. Through 23 games, the club ranks 30th in goals against, 27th in penalty-kill efficiency, and 18th in power-play efficiency.

Babcock was in his fifth season with the Maple Leafs after signing an eight-year contract that paid him $6.25 million annually. After Toronto finished last overall in his debut season and won the right to draft Auston Matthews No. 1 in 2016, Babcock led Toronto to the playoffs in each of the past three years but never beyond the first round.

"I thought we did an amazing job taking a franchise from where it was to where we had 100-point seasons, we set franchise records if I'm not mistaken, got into the playoffs. I'm disappointed, we didn't have the start to the year we wanted and that's on me. I want to thank the fans, I want to thank the media, I want to thank the city, it was spectacular. I loved every second of it. And I wish the new group nothing but success. Morgan Rielly has been here the whole time. I can't thank him enough. And all the players I got the opportunity to coach. It's been fantastic and I wish them nothing but success," Babcock said in a statement, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Babcock's now the first NHL head coach to be fired this season.

Keefe's connection with Dubas goes back to their time with the OHL's Soo Greyhounds. The 39-year-old Keefe was then hired as Marlies head coach in 2015 and led them to a Calder Cup title in 2018 and an overall record of 199-89-22-9.

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Former Humboldt Broncos player Ryan Straschnitzki is walking again for the first time since being paralyzed from the chest down in the team's fatal bus crash in April 2018.

Straschnitzki's father, Tom, shared a video Wednesday on Twitter showing his son taking his first steps with help from a therapist.

Straschnitzki underwent surgery in Thailand earlier this month to have a stimulator implanted in his back, according to Leah Murray of Air 106.1 FM. The stimulator uses electrical currents to stimulate nerves, allowing Straschnitzki to move his legs and gain more core control.

"The therapist (told Ryan), 'You're going for a walk,'" Tom said. "I didn't think he was ready, I was afraid his knees would buckle or his ankles, but they made him go and he was training his brain.

"I went, 'Holy shit, last time he walked was when he walked onto the bus.'"

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Washington Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway has been suspended three games for spitting on Anaheim Ducks defenseman Erik Gudbranson, the NHL announced Wednesday.

Should Hathaway wish to appeal the ban, ultimate authority will fall to commissioner Gary Bettman rather than to an independent arbitrator because the winger's suspension is for fewer than six games, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Hathaway, who turns 28 on Saturday, was assessed a match penalty for his role in a melee that erupted between the two clubs late in the second period Monday night.

Six players were penalized as a result of the scrum.

The Capitals signed Hathaway to a four-year contract on July 1. He spent his first four seasons in the Calgary Flames organization.

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Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan will be away from the team while taking part in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, the league announced Wednesday.

"Bobby is an important member of the Ottawa Senators family and he has our full support as he tends to this matter," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said Wednesday, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.

Ryan left practice in Detroit early Monday, and Ottawa head coach D.J. Smith told reporters the winger wasn't feeling well.

The 32-year-old did not play Tuesday night against the Red Wings.

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Tyson Barrie is fed up with losing after the Toronto Maple Leafs dropped their sixth straight contest Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights.

"We had a good meeting this morning and it's time to go now," the defenseman said following the 4-2 loss, according to TSN's Mark Masters. "It's time to man up.

"We have expectations on us and we're not living up to them and it's time to go. We competed hard tonight ... we battled back and had a chance to tie it. We have to keep going, a lot of hockey left."

Barrie, who was traded to Toronto in July after a career-best 59-point season with the Colorado Avalanche in 2018-19, has struggled to find his offensive touch with the Maple Leafs, managing just seven assists through 23 contests.

The 28-year-old has picked up a helper in two consecutive games, however, and posted a Corsi For rating of 60% or better over five consecutive games.

Tuesday's loss marks the longest losing streak of the Auston Matthews-Mike Babcock era. The team's longest skid last season lasted three games. Prior to the defeat against Vegas, the Maple Leafs hadn't lost six in a row since 2015-16, when they finished dead last in the NHL.

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