In 2018, the Toronto Marlies won the Calder Cup title, a sign of a bright future to come for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The promotions of Sheldon Keefe as the head coach and Kyle Dubas as the general manager reflected a bright outlook for a new era.

Fast-forward eight years, and history seems to repeat itself. The Marlies won the Calder Cup, and the Maple Leafs, while assembling their new coaching staff, promoted head coach John Gruden to the NHL bench (along with Daniel Alfredsson and Brad Werenka). This isn’t a new era, but the Maple Leafs are turning a page, with a new-look team and a focus on the future, with Gavin McKenna and a handful of prospects joining the team next season.

The Gruden promotion felt inevitable, especially once Jim Hiller was announced as the head coach. The two worked together with the New York Islanders under Barry Trotz and view the game the same way. The hire goes beyond just Gruden knowing Hiller, as it’s a great move considering what the veteran coach provides and where the Maple Leafs are. 

In a 10-minute conversation with Gruden, you’ll learn more about hockey than in a three-hour talk with most people in the game. He knows the ins and outs of coaching and how to prepare the team.

In the Calder Cup Playoffs, that was on display as the Marlies would turn up the pace when they had to match the opponent goal for goal but they slowed the games down when they had the lead and needed to seal the victory. That's what happened in the Eastern Conference Final and the Final, with the Marlies leading games and the ice conditions slowing the pace, prompting them to get the puck deep to secure wins.  

That’s not why he was promoted, or even hired by the Marlies in the first place back in the 2023 offseason. Gruden made his biggest impact by relating to his players and understanding them. He got the most out of them because they were willing to buy into his style and play for a coach who treated them fairly. 

Gruden learned this from Trotz, and it’s a clear message that the Maple Leafs want to instill in their locker room. Both he and Hiller will treat the players fairly and will hold them accountable when needed. On top of that, the room won’t be a tense one either, as both coaches know how to keep things loose and handle the marathon that is a season and the sprint that is the playoffs. 

The Marlies' American Hockey League championship brought a wave of optimism to Toronto. The fans felt a ray of hope in a season that didn’t provide much of it otherwise. The success of the AHL team was a hopeful sign of what’s to come for the NHL team. 

Gruden is that link. He coached the young players on the Marlies, many of whom will be on the Maple Leafs, or at least given a fair shot to make the roster. Yes, the Maple Leafs brought in veterans this summer, including Darryn Raddysh and Sergei Bobrovsky. However, Easton Cowan is poised to make the team out of training camp. William Villeneuve, who was the top defenseman in the playoffs, is slated to be that extra defenseman who fills in for injuries. Artur Ahktyamov is the future in the net who will be the third-string goaltender this season. 

All these young players require a coach who can work with them. That’s what Gruden will do and do well. His success with the Marlies reflects that. It also reflects his ability to adjust and have success in the playoffs, something the Maple Leafs haven’t had much of in the past 60 years. Gruden will help Hiller out in those big games, and the Calder Cup victories can translate into Stanley Cup playoff victories. 

With Gruden’s promotion and assistant coach Michael Dyke’s move to the Western Hockey League (where he'll be the head coach and GM of the Vancouver Giants), the Marlies must find replacements for both their head coach and one of their assistants. It’s something they presumably were prepared for but nonetheless, a tough task this late in the offseason. 

The head coaching candidate who comes to mind is Mark Giordano. He was one of the assistants for the Marlies in recent years and part of the Calder Cup run. More importantly, he has the coaching instincts and the bug to coach, something he stated after winning the Calder Cup. The 42-year-old checks off all of the boxes for the next head coach. 

If the Marlies want to go outside of the box, they might look towards junior hockey, specifically, the Ontario Hockey League, for their next leader. Jussi Ahokas won the Memorial Cup with the Kitchener Rangers and is seen as one of the brightest minds in the OHL, and he’s just one of the many up-and-coming coaches in the league. 

The Marlies will sort things out behind their bench this summer. Then again, this time, that’s a good problem to have.