Leafs’ coaching search into the “final phases”
The new regime of the Toronto Maple Leafs is almost fully fleshed out. Mats Sundin and John Chakya make up the Leafs’ new front office, and they were even awarded the first overall pick at June 26th’s NHL Entry Draft as a nice little housewarming gift. All that’s left is for Toronto to name their next head coach, as former head coach Craig Berube was fired on May 13th.
According to Chayka, the Leafs should be making an official head coach hiring sooner rather than later. Toronto’s new general manager spoke with the media on Tuesday following the trade of goaltender Joseph Woll to the Philadelphia Flyers, and discussed where the organization currently stands in its search for a new head coach.
“I think we’re in the final phases at this stage,” Chayka said in a response to a question from the Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan. “It’s been a pretty thorough process so far, and we’ve taken our time with it. We’ve had some in-person meetings recently, and we’re getting down to decision time. So it should be in the next several days.”
Leafs GM John Chayka on coaching search: "We're on the final phases. It's been a very thorough process thus far. We're getting down to decision time, it should be in the next several days."
While Chayka’s use of the term “several days” doesn’t imply that a head coach hiring is necessarily imminent, the fact that he measured the time frame with days rather than weeks suggests that the hiring should occur reasonably soon. Plus, they’d likely want to have their coach in place ahead of the NHL Entry Draft.
It’s not entirely clear what type of coach Toronto is seeking. Often, a new regime would tap a younger, less experienced coach that can grow within the organization, as the Vancouver Canucks did with the hiring of Manny Malhotra. The Leafs’ desire to return to playoff contention as early as next season, however, could push them towards an older, more proven option.
Former Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy, former Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch, and former New York Islanders coach Patrick Roy are among the more prominent coaching names still available.