Insider shares the latest update on the Leafs' search for new coach
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman believes that the Toronto Maple Leafs have selected their new head coach and has revealed why they haven't announced anything yet.
The Leafs' coaching search began this past weekend after the team opted to fire Sheldon Keefe a week ago, with Leafs GM Brad Treliving confirming that the team would be thorough in its search, but that they didn't want to hold up the coaching carousel either, meaning that the process would be expedited. This led to many, including some of the league's top insiders, suspecting that a new coach would be in place this week.
During the most recent edition of 32 Thoughts, Friedman suggested that the Leafs may have already selected their new coach and that, in his mind, he was leaning Craig Berube.
Friedman was also quick to mention that nothing is done until the ink is on the paper, revealing that GM Brad Treliving may be delaying making anything official and pumping the brakes a little bit to make sure they're doing their due diligence.
Obviously, this is understandable. Bringing in a new coach is an important decision and the Leafs want to make sure they get this one right. They can't afford to bring in the wrong guy, but they also can't afford to delay for too long and miss their primary target.
Berube was believed to have interviewed with New Jersey and Winnipeg as well, so with the Leafs delaying making anything official, they're sort of playing with fire here.
The Leafs also interviewed Todd McLellan and have reportedly already crossed Gerard Gallant's name off of their list. Beyond that, no other candidates have been identified, so it appears as though the search for a new coach wasn't an overly broad one.
It's Wednesday now and the week is quickly flying by. I'd imagine that with the Leafs wanting the new coach to be involved with player decisions, they'll want to have someone in place this week so they can begin to have conversations about who will stay and who will go this summer, who their primary trade targets might be and which free agents they'll prioritize on July 1st, which is now approximately 6 weeks away.
