It appears as though the Pittsburgh Penguins will not look into hiring one of the top free agent coaches.

PITTSBURGH – When the Toronto Maple Leafs fired head coach Sheldon Keefe, there were immediate thoughts that the Pittsburgh Penguins would be interested in hiring him. Keefe and Penguins president Kyle Dubas have a long history, predating their NHL tenures.

With a few spots open at various levels of the Penguins organization, the fit and familiarity seemed perfect for Keefe.

It appears the Penguins won’t be Keefe’s landing spot, as the Athletic’s Rob Rossi reported. Speaking with the PM Team on 93.7 the Fan, Rossi said it’s unlikely the Penguins hire Keefe in any capacity.

“I don’t think he’s going to be hired by the Penguins,” Rossi said. “I don’t get the impression he wants to take the AHL route.”

The Penguins are set to keep Mike Sullivan in place as their head coach but have openings for an NHL assistant or head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.

Those spots seem like they would fit Keefe better than as a head coach, but Rossi doesn’t believe that the Penguins fit what he’s looking for.

“I think he’s going to go away for a while and let the Maple Leafs pay him to not work,” Rossi said. “Then be in the mix for any openings that might come up in season.”

The Maple Leafs fired Keefe before a two-year contract extension was set to kick in. No matter what Keefe does over the next two seasons, the Maple Leafs will still pay him his full salary.

Keefe said in a thank you video to the Maple Leafs that he doesn’t know what’s next for him, but he plans on spending time with his family. With multiple spots across the league up for grabs, Keefe will be one of the top free-agent coaches in the NHL.

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