Leafs eliminate one quality veteran coach from coaching search
The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to have eliminated one possible candidate to fill the vacant head coaching role, as Gerard Gallant is not expected to interview for the gig.
The news comes from Sportsnet's Luke Fox, who confirmed that while Gallant would like to return to the NHL coaching ranks, he hasn't received an interview with the Leafs.
Earlier Monday morning, Elliotte Friedman suggested that the Leafs' coaching search is not expected to go far beyond Craig Berube and Todd McLellan, with Berube having interviewed over the weekend, while McLellan is expected to interview with the team today.
After the Leafs made the decision to move on from Sheldon Keefe, Brad Treliving emphasized that the Leafs plan to be swift, yet thorough, with their coaching search. Limited the number of candidates they interview is certainly one way to be swift, but with McLellan being considered over Gallant, I'm not sure they're being all that thorough.
Gallant last coached in the NHL in the 2022-23 season, when he was behind the bench for the New York Rangers. Gallant coached just 2 seasons in New York before being fired. Prior to that, he spent 3 years in Vegas, as the inaugural head coach for a Golden Knights team that made the Cup Finals in their first season.
| POLL | ||
13 MAI | 774 ANSWERS Leafs eliminate one quality veteran coach from coaching search Are you surprised to see McLellan interviewing for the coaching job in Toronto while Gallant didn't even receive an interview? | ||
| Yes, shocked | 341 | 44.1 % |
| No, not surprised at all | 254 | 32.8 % |
| Gallant may not watch to coach the Leafs | 179 | 23.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
