3 Head Coach Options for the Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs should look for a new head coach this off-season.
Sheldon Keefe is not the man for the job, and every year, he gets out-coached in the playoffs. He's not to blame for all the Toronto Maple Leafs mistakes, but it's easier to fire one coach than to fire 23 players.
At the end of the day, someone needs to pay the price, and I think it's time for the Leafs to try a different voice and coaching style.
The Toronto Maple Leafs need to find a coach who will hold his players accountable for poor efforts. There have been too many times when Leafs players show little to no effort and are not held accountable.
Fans are tired of seeing players who make $7 million or more show no determination on every play. If a player wants to glide around the ice instead of showing some hustle and outworking their opponent, bench them or make them sit in the press box for a few games.
Hopefully, the Leafs will fire Keefe and bring in a coach who will show these players some tough love. Now, some will say the Leafs had that type of coach when Mike Babcock was here. Babcock was fired for something he did off the ice.
There's a difference between being strict and being stupid. Babcock made a stupid decision, and it cost him his job. Finding a coach with Babcock tendencies on the bench is not a bad thing.
The eras of Pat Burns and Pat Quinn are long gone, but that style of coaching is what this Leafs team needs. I hope Leafs general manager Brad Treliving notices that need to.
When he searches for a new head coach, I hope he finds the tough-loving, hard-nosed coach this team deserves. Here is a look at five possible options for Treliving and the Leafs to consider.
Craig Berube
Craig Berube is considered by many to be the best head coach currently available on the open market.
There were rumblings that he was close to becoming the new head coach of the Ottawa Senators, but the Sens weren't willing to pay the price for the salary Berube was seeking.
The Sens loss could be the Leafs gain. Money is not an issue with MLSE, so I don't see Treliving having to work too hard at selling a Berube signing to upper management.
Berube has a 281-190-72 record through 543 games coached. He has also coached in 58 playoff games and has one Stanley Cup championship to his credit with the 2018-19 St. Louis Blues. He took over as the Blues head coach after the Blues started the season with a 7-9-3 record.
With his help, the Blues were able to turn their season around and even had an 11-game winning streak. The Blues went 38-19-6 that season with Berube as head coach and finished 2nd in their division. (All stats from hockey-reference.com)
It might take a while for the Leafs players to adjust to Berube and his way of doing things, but that's what preseason and training camp are for. If he is brought into the Leafs organization early enough, he will have time to phone each of the players and inform them of how he plans on running things. Ideally, the Leafs should hire him before the NHL draft in June.
Gerard Gallant
Gerard Gallant is one of the best coaches on the market. He is a veteran of over 700 games coached in the NHL.
Gallant would bring a lot of experience to the Leafs bench. Not sure what his asking price is, but I don't think the price is a problem for the Leafs. He hasn't coached much in the playoffs (60 games), which is why I put him below Berube.
With two seasons of coaching the New York Rangers under his belt, the crazy hockey market in Toronto shouldn't bother him.
Everyone knows how crazy the media coverage is for the Leafs, but I think he'll know how to manage it. Plus, I would love to hear the one-liners he comes up with during media scrums. Maybe not as over the top as John Tortorella, but close enough.
Gallant has coached some good and bad teams. However, with 705 games of NHL coaching experience, I don't think there's anything he hasn't seen or can't do.
His overall coaching record is 369-262-4-70. Gallant could be the voice needed on the Leafs bench and the right coach to hold players accountable.
When Gallant coached the Vegas Golden Knights in their expansion season, he was able to get that group of players to believe in his system and themselves.
He coached them to the Stanley Cup final that year, so he does know what it takes to go deep into the playoffs. It would be nice to see if he could get this team to believe in themselves and finally go on a deep playoff run.
Mike Sullivan (If Available)
After missing the playoffs for the 2nd year in a row, there is a chance the Pittsburgh Penguins could fire head coach Mike Sullivan.
The Leafs should hire Sullivan if he does become available. He is a two-time Stanley Cup winning coach with 89 playoff games coached.
If Sullivan does become available, there will be many teams interested, and the Leafs should be one of them.
Mike Sullivan has coached in 835 regular season games and has an overall record of 445-275-15-100. He has only coached for Boston (two seasons) and Pittsburgh (nine seasons).
His experience and knowledge of what it takes to win would be a huge benefit for the Leafs. A new voice behind the bench is needed, but will it be Sullivan's? We'll have to wait and see if former Leafs GM Kyle Dubas fires Sullivan or not.
With over 800 games coached and over 700 games played in the NHL, Sullivan's experience is a great asset to have.
The wealth of knowledge that he can pass on to help the Leafs players is incredible.
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There is no telling if Sullivan would want to coach in Toronto, but for any coach coming to the Leafs, there is that idea of, what if I'm the guy to help this team win a championship? You will be remembered forever if you do.