The Toronto Maple Leafs still need their next head coach. It's been weeks since they fired Craig Berube from the position and with only very vague news on who they are talking to, we're grabbing at any bit of information that leaks out about this process.
Thankfully, general manager John Chayka spoke with the media at the NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo on Friday and gave some clarity as to where the Leafs are at in their search for a new bench boss.
And, well, it looks like we might be waiting for a little bit longer.
“We’re not as focused on some artificial timeline. We’re really focused on conviction. I think it’s been a long time since there’s been a full search for this organization," Chayka told the media Friday. "This is the next leader of the Toronto Maple Leafs. We’ve gone through a very thorough process. There were about 55 people we either spoke to, or reached out. We've had this initial, call it a first round, that we just finished up recently. And now we're starting to get into the next layer of this.
"No timeline. No time constraints. When it's right, we'll make that decision, but we're going to be patient and get it right."
That's right. The Leafs have spoken to 55 total candidates about the vacant coaching position. Whether some of those are technically just brief conversations, or some OHL coach shooting his shot and throwing his hat in the ring, is still to be determined, but that is an outrageous amount of people to speak with about a position.
While it is fairly odd, we suppose it is just Chayka doing his extreme due dilligence on getting this job right and making sure that the next Leafs head coach is not someone who is behind the bench for just a couple seasons and ruins the complete vibe of the team. Someone who is not like Craig Berube, at the very least.
Could it be Jay Woodcroft? Patrick Roy? Peter Laviolette? Dallas Eakins? Ron Wilson has made his grand return? No one ways.
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