It appears the Toronto Maple Leafs will have a head coach in place potentially by the end of his week.
General manager John Chayka said Tuesday the Maple Leafs are in the final phase of their search and a hiring “should be in the next several days.”
A short-list of candidates advanced to the second round of the search to in-person including former players Joe Pavelski and Patrick Roy. Pavelski has no previous professional coaching experience.
“I think it’s been a wide and deep search and that’s been purposeful,” Chayka said at the NHL draft combine earlier this month. “I think it’s been a while since the organization’s had this approach, and I think it’s the right one at this stage.
“Certainly with the group we’ve got, we’ve got an interesting mix of star players – some folks in their prime, some good young players coming in, some good depth players, and obviously the first-overall pick on the horizon. So, as you think about all of that, I think you need a coach that has some versatility, has some experience, can deal with a market like Toronto. And those are all some of the things that are important to us.
“But ultimately, I think we’re still early. We’re still working through it. And it’s been a good process to date. We’re kind of ready for the next phase. But the first phase will produce a lot of great candidates.”
The Maple Leafs fired head coach Craig Berube shortly after Chayka took over atop the team’s front office in May.
Chayka spoke Tuesday after making his first major roster move, sending goaltender Joseph Woll and defenceman Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers for goaltender Samuel Ersson, defenceman Emil Andrae and a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
