Earlier this week, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced they had relieved assistant coach Marc Savard of his duties. At the time of the firing, the Leafs held the last-ranked powerplay in the league, a unit Savard was responsible for running. The termination came just ahead of the team’s Tuesday afternoon matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a game the Leafs would go on to win 6-3.

Before Tuesday’s puck drop, the organization stated that powerplay responsibilities would be managed internally for the time being. Today, however, the Leafs announced the hiring of Steve Sullivan from the Marlies organization to take over the role.

Sullivan’s NHL Pedigree

Sullivan brings a wealth of experience, having played 16 years in the NHL and logging 1,011 games. Over his career, he scored 290 goals and added 457 assists. Notably, 221 of his career points came on the powerplay, making him a statistically ideal candidate to replace Savard.

But more importantly, Sullivan knows exactly what it takes to compete on every single shift.

As a former 9th-round pick standing at just 5’9″ and weighing 165 pounds, Sullivan had to battle for every inch of ice he ever received. He also brings the specific knowledge of what it takes to succeed in this market, having played four seasons with the Leafs during his active career. That work ethic is something the coaching staff will hope rubs off on the current roster.

What This Means for Berube and the Leafs

In the grand scheme of things, this hiring likely signals that the organization intends to keep Head Coach Craig Berube around for an extended period. With the team still sitting near the bottom of the standings, this move might not move the needle immediately unless Sullivan can provide a spark to the special teams.

It is worth noting that the Marlies currently sit 10th out of 15 teams in the AHL’s Eastern Conference for powerplay percentage. However, given the team’s injury struggles and the amount of talent that has been shuffled up to the NHL, it is difficult to accurately measure his coaching impact based solely on those numbers.

For Sullivan’s sake, hopefully, he can make a difference. Success here could open the door for his continued growth at the NHL level, and the opportunity couldn’t have come for a nicer individual.