{"id":544768,"date":"2026-04-07T02:48:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T02:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/544768\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T02:48:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T02:48:15","slug":"maple-leafs-accelerate-gm-coach-search-as-top-candidates-sign-elsewhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/544768\/","title":{"rendered":"Maple Leafs Accelerate GM, Coach Search as Top Candidates Sign Elsewhere"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AAs the Maple Leafs scramble to fill key leadership roles, the team’s future direction remains uncertain amid a shifting NHL coaching landscape.Today in Detroit<\/p>\n

The Toronto Maple Leafs are facing a compressed timeline to hire a new general manager and head coach after several top candidates have already signed with other NHL teams. With the Leafs eliminated from playoff contention, the organization must decide whether to pursue a ‘win-now’ coach like Bruce Cassidy or Peter Laviolette, or opt for a developmental-focused hire like Peter DeBoer or Tony Granato as they potentially look to rebuild through the draft.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs’ inability to act quickly has left them scrambling to fill critical leadership roles, as top coaching options are being snatched up by rival teams. This could significantly impact Toronto’s short-term competitiveness and long-term direction, with major implications for the franchise’s future.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

After firing GM Brad Treliving with eight games left in the regular season, the Maple Leafs were hoping to get an early start on their search. However, the timeline has been accelerated with several high-profile coaching changes happening around the league. The New York Islanders recently hired Peter DeBoer to replace Patrick Roy, while John Tortorella took over in Vegas, leaving a shrinking pool of experienced, proven head coaching candidates available. Toronto must now decide whether to pursue a veteran ‘win-now’ coach like Bruce Cassidy or Peter Laviolette, or opt for a developmental-focused hire like Tony Granato as the organization potentially looks to rebuild through the draft.<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs fired GM Brad Treliving with 8 games remaining in the regular season.The New York Islanders hired Peter DeBoer as their new head coach with 4 games left in the season.John Tortorella replaced Bruce Cassidy as the head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights last week.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Brad Treliving<\/p>\n

The former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who was fired with 8 games left in the regular season.<\/p>\n

Peter DeBoer<\/p>\n

The new head coach of the New York Islanders, hired with 4 games remaining in the season.<\/p>\n

John Tortorella<\/p>\n

The new head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, who replaced Bruce Cassidy last week.<\/p>\n

Bruce Cassidy<\/p>\n

A highly sought-after head coaching candidate, who won a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023.<\/p>\n

Peter Laviolette<\/p>\n

An experienced head coach who was recently fired by the New York Rangers and is considered another top option on the open market.<\/p>\n

Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a>
\n What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s no guarantee that they’ll wait around until the summer to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Michael Traikos, USA TODAY Sports Writer<\/p>\n

\u201cToronto better get moving. Or else they may have to start next season with Berube back behind the bench.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Michael Traikos, USA TODAY Sports Writer<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs must decide whether to pursue a ‘win-now’ coach like Cassidy or Laviolette, or opt for a developmental-focused hire like DeBoer or Granato as the team potentially looks to rebuild through the draft. This decision will heavily influence their search for a new general manager, which must be completed before a head coach can be hired.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs’ inability to act quickly on their coaching and GM searches has left them in a precarious position, with top candidates being snatched up by rival teams. This underscores the urgency facing the organization to chart a clear path forward, whether that’s a ‘win-now’ approach or a longer-term rebuild, in order to avoid falling further behind their competition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a As the Maple Leafs scramble to fill key leadership roles,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":544769,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5106],"tags":[5,20,5172,4,66,31,5171],"class_list":{"0":"post-544768","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-toronto-maple-leafs","8":"tag-hockey","9":"tag-maple-leafs","10":"tag-mapleleafs","11":"tag-nhl","12":"tag-toronto","13":"tag-toronto-maple-leafs","14":"tag-torontomapleleafs"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116361148463112975","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=544768"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544768\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/544769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=544768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=544768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=544768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}