The Toronto Maple Leafs changes continued on the weekend with the departures of Assistant General Managers Brandon Pridham and Derek Clance, and according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, they will be casting a wide net in their search for a new head coach, but news out of Vancouver may eliminate someone that may have been high on Leafs GM John Chayka’s wish list.
The Vancouver Canucks have fired head coach Adam Foote after only one season. Foote was hired in part because of him having a good relationship with former Canuck Quinn Hughes, but with Hughes forcing his way out of Vancouver, the Canucks posting the worst record in the NHL, and the club going through a managerial upheaval similar to the Leafs, with Ryan Johnson taking over as GM, and the Sedin twins as co-Team Presidents, the writing was on the wall for Foote.
Another factor in the firing may have been interest from other NHL clubs in Abbotsford head coach and former Leafs assistant Manny Malhotra. The 45-year-old was on Sheldon Keefe’s coaching staff in Toronto from 2020 to 2024 and won a Calder Cup with the Canucks AHL farm club in 2025, with Johnson as Abbotsford’s GM. As soon as the Leafs fired Craig Berube, Malhotra’s name began being mentioned, but Toronto had not asked permission to speak to the former NY Rangers first-round pick.
Now that the Canucks job is open, Malhotra is the leading candidate to replace Foote, which means that Chayka may have to explore other options. Former Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy has not been given permission to speak to the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings, and it is yet unknown whether the Leafs will ask permission or are interested in doing so.
One name mentioned by Friedman on Monday’s 32 Thoughts podcast was University of Denver head coach David Carle. Carle has led Denver to three NCAA Championships and has drawn interest from NHL clubs the past few seasons and the Leafs have made initial contact with him to gauge interest and that further conversations may occur.
In other news, the Leafs have granted permission to the Oilers to speak to former head coach Craig Berube. The Alberta native has two years left on his contract with Toronto, and Edmonton may be looking for a Plan B if they are unable to talk to Cassidy. This would be a typical move by Oilers GM Stan Bowman, who is perfectly described by the old saying “someone who was born on third base and thought he hit a triple.”
Berube’s strong suit is coaching veteran teams, and the Oilers are that, but one of his negative traits is that he has a history of mishandling goaltenders, but that might make him a good fit for Edmonton, since they have no goaltenders.
