The Toronto Maple Leafs head coach position has been a popular topic of discussion around the hockey world over the last few weeks or so. New GM John Chayka made the gutsy move to fire current Leafs bench boss Craig Berube after just two seasons in Toronto.
While Berube had his moments, the Maple Leafs took a step back in the advanced stats department when he was behind the bench, and most fans are pleased with the decision to let him go.
With Berube and former GM Brad Treliving now out of the picture, this next season signals a new era for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and they'll need the right coach if they want to make the playoffs once again.
However, many of the best coaches on the market may not be as available as we think.
Maple Leafs running out of opportunities for Head Coach vacancy
During the course of the year, I was all for the Leafs picking up Peter DeBoer, a veteran NHL coach with history of taking new teams on deep playoff runs. But a late-season decision by the New York Islanders put an end to that idea.
But there are still multiple quality coaches available on the block for the Leafs to pick up, with the main two names that have been thrown around being the recently fired Bruce Cassidy and Kris Knoblauch.
Both have a history of recent playoff success, with Cassidy leading the Vegas Golden Knights to the 2023 Stanley Cup. Cassidy has been linked to Toronto, but also Edmonton and Los Angeles.
To me, Cassidy is the best available option for the Leafs, and they'll need to act quick if they want to pick him up before anyone else. That is, if Vegas let's them.
Knoblauch is an interesting name as well, as he reached the Stanley Cup Finals with Edmonton in 2024 and 2025. He's still a relatively new coach in the NHL, and could actually make some magic happen in Toronto, but recent reports state that Knoblauch will likely take some time off from coaching in the NHL.
Another name that's been thrown around is David Carle, coach of NCAA Denver. Carle is regarded by many as one of the best coaches outside of the NHL, and his resume speaks for itself.
But a recent episode of 32 Thoughts explained why Leafs fans should lower their expectations, as most signs point toward Carle staying with Denver for at least one more season.
So who does that leave for the Leafs? Jay Woodcroft? Dean Evason? Gerard Gallant?
Time will tell, but in my opinion, the Leafs should really make a run at Cassidy if they're not already. John Chayka has gone 1/1 in his big decision-making so far in his new role, let's see if he can make it 2/2 with a strong coaching hire.
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