The Toronto Maple Leafs coaching search is entering its third week, but the club does not seem concerned with hiring a bench boss quickly; it wants to get the right man for the job. Reports have indicated that they have had contact with University of Denver coach David Carle and have interviewed Leafs assistant Derek Lalonde, but according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the chatter regarding the Leafs interest in former Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft has been inaccurate.
On Friday’s 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman said that the Anaheim Ducks assistant coach has interviewed in Los Angeles for the Kings head coaching position, but that he does not believe that the Leafs have asked the Ducks permission to interview him, that they are going to interview him next week, and that it’s quite possible that Toronto will not ask permission to talk to him.
Friedman also said that he is not suspicious that the Vancouver Canucks and Abbotsford head coach Manny Malhotra have closed on a deal to name him their next bench boss, but there have been other reports that the two sides are haggling over money and might increase the possibility that Malhotra may be open to other jobs, like the Leafs, where he served as an assistant from 2020 to 2024.
Toronto does not seem to be in the mix for former Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy, and based on some of the candidates they have been connected to (like Carle and Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden), GM John Chayka appears to be looking less at retreads and more towards a younger, more progressive coach. Friedman indicated that Carle has not planned any visits to clubs as of yet and said that he is unsure the three-time NCAA champion is serious about making the jump to the NHL, but he does believe he is contemplating his options.
The Toronto Marlies Cinderella playoff run continues on Friday against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Pennsylvania on Friday night. The Marlies opened the Eastern Conference Final with a 4-2 victory on Wednesday, a game in which Toronto was outshot 36-16. Easton Cowan and William Villeneuve scored in the second period to put the Marlies into a 2-1 lead, but Penguins prospect Rutger McGroarty tied the game early in the third.
With 1:36 remaining in regulation, Michael Pezzetta beat Sergei Murashov for the game-winner, and Henry Thrun added an empty-netter. Artur Akhtyamov was once again stellar in net for the Marlies with 33 stops.
