16 Head Coaches for the Toronto Maple Leafs to Consider Hiring
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost to the Boston Bruins in game 7 last week, and this set off a week of insanity in Leafs Nation.
The Toronto Maple Leafs fired their head coach of the last five years on Thursday when they sent Sheldon Keefe packing.
On Friday came the news that while "everything was on the table" no other changes would be coming.
Brendan Shanahan would be staying on.
Brad Treliving - despite an absolutely horrible first season on the job - would be staying on.
The Leafs might trade Marner or Tavares, but the window to do that without making their team much worse has closed. They could have moved Nylander before signing him, they could have traded Marner before his no-movement clause kicked in.
And speaking of no movement clauses, maybe giving them out like they were Halloween candy wasn't the best idea.
Whatever happened, and whatever reason they happened for, it doesn't matter.
The Leafs President and his hand-picked GM have failed and it's pretty clear to all involved that the Leafs owners should have went with Kyle Dubas last year when he tried for his mentor's job.
They didn't, and here we are. No matter. The Leafs need a coach - that much is clear.
Here is a list of candidates:
The Next Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Be....
Craig Berube
Craig Berube is the leading candidate to be the Leafs next head coach.
He recently was the coach of the St. Louis Blues, but was fired after they missed the playoffs two seasons in a row.
He did, however win a Stanley Cup as coach in 2019 when Jordan Binnington came out of nowhere to go on a legendary run.
Berube is known to be a bit of a hard-ass and will be a complete .180 from Sheldon "Sorry I Criticized You Mitch" Keefe.
Berube is a vetern of over 1000 NHL games, 40 of them with the Toronto Maple Leafs. While that's only a half season, it should give him some good insight into how hard it is to play here, and that will only help him.
Berube is having a moment, and he's the most sought after coach available. This would be a high-profile hire, and I think most people would be pretty happy with it.
An interesting fact about Berube that I got off Wikipedia is that he is the least productive player to ever play over 1000 games. He was a enforcer and I honestly hope this doesn't mean that the Leafs are going to play Ryan Reaves again next season.
The addition of Berube would be a mistake. He's a coach who is going to preach "playoff hockey" and fit in with the kind of culture that just brought Joel Edmundson and Ryan Reaves to the team. This is not what the Leafs need.
They need to lean into their offensive abilities. The years long process of turning this team into a boring, safe, prototypical "playoff" team have been the main cause of their losing. Every year the Leafs are a high-flying, well-oiled machine....until the trade deadline where they suddenly try to morph into what they think they should be.
This is the wrong direction. This doesn't work. I don't doubt that Berube is the Leafs first choice, but it's a bad one.
Berube would not be my choice. My choice would be....
Bruce Boudreau
Bruce Boudreau is another ex-Leafs player who is up for the job. Boudreau is not seen as a favorite at this point, though I'm sure the Leafs will consider him.
The reason I think the Leafs should pick Boudreau is that he's the perfect guy for this situation because he's so likable.
In the NHL there are only three things that everyone agrees on:
- Wayne Gretzky is the best of all-time.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs are a joke.
- Bruce Boudreau is a nice guy.
That's it.
Boudreau's attitude and positive demeanor is basically the opposite of most NHL coaches, and I think the time is right for this kind of person to take the reins. Everyone is tense, upset, bored, frustrated and assigning blame.
Enter Bruce Boudreau. He woudl immediately calm everyone down. Everyone would be happy with the hire and, best of all, he is known to get the most out of his offensive players.
Boudreau is who the Leafs should have hired instead of Sheldon Keefe and he's who should take the job now.
Rod Brind'Amour
Unlike Boudreau or Berube, Brind'Amour is an ex-NHL super-star.
If Rod Brind'Amour is available, he would be the #1 choice, superceding Berube.
He's probably considered the NHL's best current coach, and he's also one of the youngest. Whereas Boudreau is almost 70, Brind'Amour is only 53.
He's only ever coached the Hurricanes, and who knows, if they had of lost their last game, he might have already been named the Leafs coach.
The rumours are that he doesn't want to leave Carolina, but they've had him as their coach since 2018 and it might be time for a new voice.
Who knows? The Leafs might be too concerned about losing out on Berube to wait to see if Brind'Amour is an option.
In my opinion, this would be a mistake. Brind'Amour is obviosly the best they could do, and Berube is extremely overrated, and doesn't fit the style they should be playing.
The Toronto Maple Leafs rushed into Brad Treliving after about five minutes of looking. The fact that Berube is their #1 rumoured choice is because Treliving is a name-brand guy, and Berube is well-known. Treliving loves traditional hockey, and Berube fits that.
It just doesn't fit the Leafs roster. Brind'Amour is the best choice, the Leafs owe it to their fans to at least wait to see if he becomes available.
Other Options
Todd McLellan
It seems like McLellan should be older, but he's only in his mid-50s. He's just been coaching in the NHL since he was about 40, which is a young start for a coach.
In his career he's coached the San Jose Sharks, the Edmonton Oilers and the LA Kings.
He would be the most hilarious choice for the Leafs. So hilarious, and so idiotic of a choice I can't believe he's being mentioned at all, let alone as supposedly one of the top choices.
In case you are unaware, Todd McLellan would fit right in with this roster - he hasn't made it past the second round in over a decade.
In fact, just like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, he has only made it to the second round once since 2016 where he lost.
In addition, and you can't make this up, he was the coach of the San Jose Sharks from 2008 to 2014. You might remember him as the coach of the most similar team to this version of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The 08-14 Sharks were one of the best teams in recent NHL history to never win the Stanley Cup. To replace Sheldon Keefe with a guy who looks like his silver-fox half-brother, who was basically the Keefe a decade before Keefe himself became the new McLellan would be just too much.
There is no way the Toronto Maple Leas would even consider this. Then again....
Gerald Gallant
Gallant would also fit right in: he's missed the playoffs or lost in the first round seven times.
He has been a coach in the NHL since 2003 and coached four different teams. He did once take the Vegas Knights to the Cup Final, but he didn't win.
Obviously like Berube there are traditional reasons for the Leafs to want a guy like this to coach them, but it would just the same thing as trading for Nick Foligno or hiring Mike Babcock.
These cliches don't work. The Leafs have the most money and they should be able to find the best coach, not just a recycled mid-tiered guy from the past.
I hate that we even have to talk about hiring Gallant. Terrible choice.
Claude Julien
Claude Julien has coached only Montreal and Boston (with one year in Jersey) over a near 20 year coaching career.
He hasn't coached in the NHL since the Canadiens fired him for a second time in 2021. I think he'd be a great choice for the Leafs, but to be honest, he's barely been mentioned.
I've always like Julien, and like Boudreau the reason I like Julien as an option is his reputation for getting the most out of offensive players. It think this is a highly underrated skill for NHL coaches, and one, obviously, that would help the Leafs.
Next up: the non-option options.
Joel Quenneville
I can't believe I even have to list him, but some people are pretty gross.
Quenneville is not currently allowed to coach in the NHL and he likely never will be. His role in the Kyle Beach sexual assult cover up has been much discussed and disected. The information is out there if you want it, but none of it makes Quenneville look good.
All that aside, the Leafs didn't do well with MIke Babcock and Quenneville is practically the same coach. No thanks.
Mike Babcock
He's not an option, but it's always funny to remember how he was fired in Columbus before even coaching a game.
Mike Keenen
Man, it's funny whenever someone stuck in the 90s talks about bringing back Iron Mike. Like when somone talks to you about their sneaker collection, it's a sign you might be in the same room with an energy vampire. Some very insecure people long for the days when authoritarian coaches ruled the NHL with an iron fist, usually right before they go on a rant about the problems with diversity.
Obviously the Leafs will not be interested.
Darryl Sutter
The last time Treliving hired Sutter, the team almost had a mutiny. Or maybe actualy had a mutiny, depending on the rumours you believe.
Either way, he's not a candidate, but he always gets brought up anyways.
Here are some other possibilities:
Mitch Love
He's currently coaching with the Capitals as one of their assistants. He will one day headline a coaching search like Craig Berube is today.
He would be an inspired choice and has ties to Brad Treliving. If the Leafs weren't just coming off a rookie coach, they likely would consider Love, but he's unlikely to get the call this time.
Pierre Laviolette
It wouldn't be an NHL Coaching Search without considering Laviolette. The guy has been an NHL coach in almost every year since the early 2000s. Unfortunately, he's coaching the Rangers. Still, it's an NHL Rule that he must considered for every job, even when he already has a job. He isn't a real candidate, but It does seem like his goal is to coach all 32 teams, so you never know....
Dean Evanson
Recently fired by the Minnesota Wild, Evanson is a coach who has only coached one team. He wouldn't be the worst choice, but I really get the feeling that the Leafs are looking to make a splash with a name-brand high-profile guy. Evanson is most definitely not that.
There is no chance he is hired, but most people only know a few options so he's listed in every article about the Leafs head coaching search, so I am required by law to list him here.
Better Options, Less Chance of Getting Them:
Jon Cooper
Much llke Rod Brind'Amour, the Leafs would be highly advised to wait on Cooper before acting. If he becomes available, he's the clear choice.
Cooper has coached the Tampa Bay Lightning to two Stanley Cups and three Finals appearances in the last several years.
He has experience getting the most out of offensive players, and he runs the team that the Leafs want to be.
There is no better option, but the fact is, he isn't likely to hit the market. Still, it is necessary to wait to see if he does become available.
Mike Sullivan
Sullivan is, with Brind'Amour and Cooper, one of the three best coaches in today's NHL. He is currently employed in Pittsburgh, where I think we all expect Sheldon Keefe to end up.
Since that is the case, the Leafs should be waiting until they know for sure whether MIke Sullivan is available before making a move.
Alain Vigneault
I'm only kidding! The Leafs can't hire Todd McLellan because he was the coach of the San Jose Sharks while they were essentially last decades version of the Toronto Maple Leafs - i.e the best team in the NHL that can't win in the playoffs.
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For all the same reasons you can't hire McLellan, you can't hire Vigneault either. The Circa 2011 Cancuks are the missing link between the Circa 2008 Sharks and the Toronto Maple Leafs of today.