5 Toronto Maple Leafs Head Coaching Candidates

The inevitable occurred on Thursday, as the Toronto Maple Leafs relieved Sheldon Keefe of his coaching duties after failing to make it past the first round for the fourth time in five attempts. 

While I could look back at the innumerable ups and downs of Keefe’s reign behind the bench, Maple Leafs fans should look forward to the list of promising candidates who can propel the hockey club forward. 

"I'm forever grateful for the opportunity to coach the Toronto Maple Leafs. It's a dream come true for a boy from Brampton …"

Sheldon Keefe says goodbye to Leafs Nation 👇 https://t.co/meNUwavxZ8

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) May 9, 2024

5 Toronto Maple Leafs Head Coaching Candidates

For large portions of the 2023-24 season, the Maple Leafs were among the favourites to win the Stanley Cup, according to the hockey odds. 

Another season chock full of potential came to a crashing halt in a finish too often replicated, a Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins. 

With the changing of the guard comes newfound hope, which Maple Leafs fans are in desperate need of. 

Here are the top five candidates to replace Keefe: 

5. Craig Berube

I’ll go in reverse order and start with the best candidate. As the St. Louis Blues’ bench boss, Craig Berube won the Stanley Cup in 2019. The no-nonsense 58-year-old led the Blues to their first Stanley Cup triumph and perfectly embodies what the Maple Leafs need. 

Brendan Shanahan and Brad Treliving are firm believers in Berube’s approach. He holds players accountable and often elicits the best from each individual. That depends on whether the players buy into what Berube is selling. 

If they don’t, Berube will quickly show them the nearest exit. Berube has a winning pedigree and is the type of coach who makes excellent in-game decisions. He’d be a welcome addition to a hockey club in desperate need of unadulterated conviction. 

4. Gerard Gallant 

Regarding NHL betting, I’d back Berube to land the role. However, Gerard Gallant is an excellent candidate who came within a whisker of lifting the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18. 

He also led the New York Rangers to the 2021-22 Eastern Conference final before losing to the New Jersey Devils in the 2022-23 first round. That disappointing outcome resulted in the Rangers moving on. 

3. Todd McLellan 

The Maple Leafs could do much worse than Todd McLellan, who spent the last five seasons coaching the Los Angeles Kings. 

I don’t think he is what the Maple Leafs require to find a cutting edge that’s been missing for so long. He is on the top-five list, but there are other more favourable candidates. McLellan enjoyed some playoff success early in his career, taking the San Jose Sharks to the Western Conference final in 2010 and 2011. 

However, he hasn’t returned to that stage of the playoffs since, losing his last two playoff appearances in the first round. 

2. Rod Brind’Amour

Rod Brind’Amour is a more fanciful candidate. If the Maple Leafs can pry him away from the Carolina Hurricanes, he’d be the No. 1 candidate. However, Brind’Amour has a deeply personal connection with the Hurricanes and would probably feel incomplete if he moved to pastures anew without first completing the job in Carolina.

As a player, Brind’Amour won the Stanley Cup with the Hurricane in 2005-06. He’s a proven winner and one of the league’s best motivators. We’ll have to see what happens if the Hurricanes fall short of their ultimate goal, but landing Brind’Amour would represent one of the NHL’s most impressive coups. 

1. Bruce Boudreau

Bruce, there it is! Bruce Boudreau was a fan favourite while he coached the Vancouver Canucks. He restored faith in the program, instantly improving the Canucks’ results. Attrition eventually set in, leading to his dismissal on Jan. 22, 2023. 

The 69-year-old is one of the most seasoned and affable head coaches available. However, it feels like a farfetched option, one the Maple Leafs probably won’t employ. In his almost 20-year coaching career, Boudreau has only made it to the conference final once, taking the Anaheim Ducks there in 2014-15. He hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2017-18 when he coached the Minnesota Wild. 

That’s not the kind of playoff experience the Maple Leafs are looking for, particularly after firing a coach who had a dismal 16-21 playoff record while at the helm.