Five Serious Remaining Candidates In Race For Maple Leafs Head Coach Position
After another head coach came off the Toronto Maple Leafs' list of candidates, here are five serious remaining contenders in the race to become the 42nd bench boss in franchise history.
Video Transcript
Toronto Maple Leafs are not ride or die with Craig Berube.
contrary to some earlier reports that had Berube sticking around, incoming GM John Chayka, has announced that Berube is no longer the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
So Ryan, what, what does this mean?
Who, who do you think, the Toronto Maple Leafs have on their, you know, keepers here?
Who, who are they looking at- for the next head coach?
Well, you know, people are gonna throw some big names out there and, obviously there's intrigue around, like Bruce Cassidy.
you know, is Chris Knoblauch gonna be an option soon?
you know, technically he's still coaching the Edmonton Oilers, but I guess we'll see for how long.
Yeah.
But I'm gonna throw out a bit of a dark horse candidate here.
And well, we, we still don't know what the Leafs are gonna look like next season, what the goals are gonna be for the franchise because, you know, it's kind of a clean slate scenario.
You got new management coming in, now you got a new coach.
you know, most likely Gavin McKenna, will be part of it.
You know, it, it felt like with Berube it was sort of like he was trying to make them something that they weren't, which was like, you know, a heavy defensive squad.
I wonder, maybe they just say like, "You know what?
Speed and skill, that's our bread and butter.
Maybe we go that way."
I wonder, right now in the AHL playoffs the Toronto Marlies are into the third round.
the first round was kind of a really quick one, but still.
The- you know, their coach Jon Gruden.
Veteran coach.
He has coached, you know, as an assistant in the NHL before.
He's obviously been a head coach at other levels.
Most importantly, he was an assistant coach at the NTDP- Oh when Auston Matthews was playing there, so there is familiarity.
I wonder, the way Jon Gruden has been coaching the Marlies in these playoffs, could they potentially give him a shot and say, "You know what?
Let's grow something new with this core that we have.
Let's try to get back on track."
I'm, I'm not saying he's the favorite or anything like that, but I wonder if they would do something a little more off the board instead of just bringing in, you know, another big name coach that, will look at the roster and try to make it something that it's not.
I'll go one step further, Ryan.
Bring in Donny Meatballs, Donny Granato.
He's coaching the world championships.
Bring the whole NDTP connection back.
Right.
What do you think about that, Drew?
I don't like that.
I think that I agree with Ryan though.
I think we're going to see a Ryan Warsofsky type hire here.
So I think it's gonna be a younger coach who probably has not coached in the league before.
I don't see And I also, I don't think it's gonna be a good fit.
Like, I think Berube is a very good coach, I just think it was kind of wrong place, right, wrong time.
Totally.
Like, I think that it's gonna be a young coach who's gonna come in, probably sign for a little bit less money with a longer term, and just really kind of start this reba- rebuild from the ground up.
so I don't think we're gonna see a Bruce Cassidy or someone like that.
I, I would assume it's gonna be a guy who's never, coached in the league before.
Could it be Manny Malhotra?
Ooh.
Yeah.
I, I think it could be.
Vancouver doesn't ask guests.
I thought, I thought they're keeping the, the seat warm for him in Vancouver, Ryan.
They probably are, but I mean, could Toronto move- first?
Yeah, it could be interesting.
Honestly, I, I think Drew makes a good point because the next coach is gonna tell you potentially what direction the organization might be heading in.
Yeah.
And if you hire a Bruce Cassidy or someone who is a win now coach, then I think you're gonna try to win now.
And if you bring in the development coach, maybe the, you know, the guy who's been finding like, spending this time in the AHL is more likely to be a guy who's a, a rebuild coach, then yeah, you're looking to possibly, you know, not turn things around for, next season.
So kind of keep an eye on the, the type of coach who gets hired.
Um-
