For the 2023-24 NHL season thus far, the Toronto Maple Leafs have had their fair share of ups and downs. They were met with adversity right from the start when they ran into injury troubles to their defense.
However, led by the Toronto Maple Leafs core four, especially with the surprising breakout season by William Nylander, their offence helped them overcome many of those issues and kept them afloat in terms of their playoff aspirations.
Then came the troubles with their goaltending with rookie standout Joseph Woll going down to a high-ankle sprain back in early December, along with first-string netminder Ilya Samsonov struggling to find his game for most of the season. Somehow, third-string goalie Martin Jones has stepped in and gave the Leafs the chance to stay in the thick of things for a short little while.
However, a recent rough stretch of mediocre play in January has left the Leafs barely hanging on to a playoff spot as we passed the midway mark of the 2023-24 season. With such inconsistency in their play on full display in recent weeks, who should be held responsible for such performances?
Which Toronto Maple Leafs Coaches Should be in the Hot Seat?
As much as the onus is on the players to perform to their abilities, the strategical coaching and the implementation of their supposedly workable systems involved bears quite some weight as well. As a result, the Leafs coaching staff can play quite a significant role in the team’s success and failures in the long run.
Here, we take a look at three Toronto Maple Leafs coaches that could be in the hot seat if the team’s current performance issues aren’t rectified soon enough.