The Toronto Maple Leafs are still on their search for a new head coach and now NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has poured cold water on one of the possibilities that has fans excited.
Jay Woodcroft has coached some of the best players in the world during his time with the Edmonton Oilers and got them to score a whole lot of points and look like a very good team. So, of course we would want that same thing to happen in Toronto.
Previous reports said that he is among the candidates for the position and the Anaheim Ducks, where Woodcroft is currently an assistant coach, have granted the Leafs permission to speak with him. Unfortunately, that might now be completely wrong.
Elliotte Friedman says Maple Leafs are not interested in Woodcroft
On Friday's episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Elliotte Friedman went into the Woodcroft situation and said that the Leafs have not even expressed any interest in giving him an interview.
"I'm really careful at this time of year. ... I don't see everything that gets reported and I don't really like kicking other people's reporting because I don't see everything. There's a lot flying around and I'm not infallible. I get things wrong too. I understand there were some reports this week that [Woodcroft] is going to interview in Toronto. I don't believe that's the case.
"I do not believe Toronto has asked permission to talk to him. I think it's quite possible Toronto doesn't ask to talk to him. He's interview in LA and I think he's got to be legit contender there. I think DJ Smith, the incumbent, is too. But I've heard for whatever reason, he will not be interviewing in Toronto."
Friedman also mentions that David Carle, who the Leafs are actually interested in and have spoken with, has not visited the Leafs yet. It is speculated that the University of Denver head coach won't be seen as taking any opportunity seriously unless he's there in-person, looking at the facilities and speaking with management face-to-face.
So, yeah. A big lump of coal on a Friday. The head coach with NHL experience that we were all hoping to see behind the Leafs bench and inject some offensive juice into a team that desperately needs it, is not even really of interest to Toronto, according to Friedman.
After this report, it feels like we're back at square one. Yeah, the Leafs have been conducting some interviews and have been on their search for a new head coach for weeks now, but no names are really coming through. Other than Carle and the internal options like Derek LaLonde, there have been no massive reports on who the Leafs are talking to for this position.
One day we'll wake up and the Leafs will have a new head coach, but right now we at least know that they could (possibly) not be interested in one of the more intriguing candidates in Woodcroft.
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