The Toronto Maple Leafs have gotten off to a dismal start in the 2022-23 NHL season and it hasn't taken long for Sheldon Keefe to face some harsh criticism from fans and media. Ahead of their Wednesday night matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers, Keefe got an assist from John Tortorella, who came to Keefe's defense over the media's treatment of him.

Via Luke Fox on Twitter:

“You guys don't know what he's done for that team… You guys chuck darts at him because you want some results… He's a terrific coach. I hope he jams it to you all, quite honestly. Not tonight.”

Tortorella ripped into the media for their lack of support for Keefe amid a rough stretch for the Maple Leafs. Toronto has started the season with a 4-4-2 record including disappointing losses against the Arizona Coyotes, San Jose Sharks, and Montreal Canadiens.

While Torts is hoping the Maple Leafs struggles carry over to their clash with the Flyers, he was adamant that Keefe deserved better treatment and called him a “terrific coach.”

The Maple Leafs simply have not gotten the level of production needed out of key players. Their offensive struggles are surprising given the sheer talent they have on the roster, but with Mitch Marner looking like a shell of his former self and the bottom six attackers struggling to make a big impact, positive results have been few and far between.

While Sheldon Keefe got a nod from John Tortorella ahead of the Maple Leafs-Flyers clash, the only way Keefe will get out of the media crosshairs is if he can start to turn things around after a brutal start to the year.