Former Leaf a candidate to join Leafs' coaching staff?
Yesterday it was confirmed by Frank Seravalli that Flames Assistant Coach Kirk Muller would not be returning for the upcoming season. Muller has essentially been a career assistant coach with a three-year stint as the Carolina Hurricanes Head Coach from 2011-2014. He has been an assistant in Montreal, St. Louis and most recently Calgary. The timing of this news comes as the Leafs are expected to make a decision about Sheldon Keefe's future with the club as he has one season left on his current deal.
Treliving hired Muller in 2021 to be the Flames Assistant Coach and spoke very highly of him at the time of his hiring.
"He's got sort of an infectious personality. He's really upbeat, and there's never a bad day," Treliving said. "And we did a lot of homework on his previous stops and talked to a lot of people, and his ability really to work individually with players one-on-one, you know, is a real strength of his. I think that he coaches the way he played. He expects a lot, but he's fair, and he's honest. And I think that's what the players have a lot of respect for."
The Leafs have already lost Spencer Carbery to the Capitals after Carbery was named their new head coach earlier this month. With the loss of Carbery in Toronto, the Leafs are in the market for someone to run their powerplay.
As of this point, there are no reports currently linking Muller to the Leafs either for their head coaching gig or as an assistant, but with Brad Treliving now in control in the Leafs' front office and with Treliving's appreciation for what Muller has to offer, it shouldn't surprise anyone if Muller's name comes up in connection to Toronto in the coming days/weeks.
It is worth noting that Muller played parts of two seasons with the Leafs in 1995-96 and 1996-97.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 14 | 289 ANSWERS Former Leaf a candidate to join Leafs' coaching staff? Will the Leafs hire Kirk Muller behind the bench in some capacity this summer? | ||
| Yes | 177 | 61.2 % |
| No | 112 | 38.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
