The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a ton of rumours swirling around them over the last few weeks. Between questions about Auston Matthews’ future, the sweeping front office changes involving John Chayka and Mats Sundin, and now the coaching search after Craig Berube’s firing, there really hasn’t been much quiet around the organization lately.
Right now, though, the coaching situation has completely taken over the conversation. This is the first massive decision Chayka and Sundin are making together, and whoever they hire is probably going to shape the identity of the franchise moving forward more than any single player transaction this summer.
Latest on the Maple Leafs' coaching search
The coaching vacancy has already pulled in a wide range of names, but Bruce Cassidy still feels like the clear headline candidate. The former Vegas Golden Knights bench boss has a Stanley Cup on his resume and a reputation for running structured, defensively responsible teams. After the way the Maple Leafs looked in their own zone for stretches this season, it’s not hard to understand why his name keeps getting linked to Toronto. At the same time, Cassidy isn’t the only serious option being discussed.
Current assistant Derek Lalonde is reportedly expected to interview for the position, which makes sense considering he already knows the room and helped oversee a penalty kill unit that stayed inside the league’s top 10 this season. Familiarity matters in a market like this, especially with the pressure surrounding the team already ramping up before next year even starts.
Jay Woodcroft and Kris Knoblauch also continue to surface as potential fits. Both have experience handling star-heavy rosters and managing offensive talent without completely sacrificing structure, which is obviously something Toronto still needs to figure out.
There have also been reports connecting Manny Malhotra to the opening after the success he’s had coaching the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate. However, at this point, there still hasn’t been any formal request made to speak with him.
The biggest question mark might still be David Carle out of Denver University. Reports earlier in the week suggested there was real mutual interest between him and the Maple Leafs, but over the last 24 hours, there’s also been pushback suggesting he may not want to leave the NCAA right now.
James Mirtle mentioned on the JD Bunkis Podcast that Toronto could end up interviewing 30 to 40 candidates for the opening, and honestly, that wouldn’t be surprising. This is the biggest coaching hire the Maple Leafs have made in a long time, and Chayka and Sundin are fully aware that whoever gets this job will likely be leading the next era of Maple Leafs hockey.
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