Maple Leafs move on from former assistant, announce new hire in Lane Lambert

Lambert joins Berube's staff as an associate coach, which is a step higher than an assistant coach according to Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek. The role includes some of the responsibilities of a head coach and it is something that Lambert is familiar with as it was his role with the New York Islanders under Barry Trotz before assuming the head coaching role.

Lambert coached the Islanders to a 61-46-20 record before being fired and replaced by Patrick Roy. He also served as an assistant coach with the Washington Capitals and Nashville Predators and won a Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018.

In hiring Lambert, the Leafs also announced assistant coach Dean Chynoweth will not be returning, while there has still been no decision regarding Guy Boucher's future with the club.

The Chynoweth departure comes on the heels of yet another early 1st round exit for the Leafs. The hope is that with a pair of new voices coming in with the hires of Lambert and Berube, it will help change the team's fortunes in 2024-25.