The Toronto Maple Leafs will be searching for a new head coach this off-season. However, Elliotte Friedman believes that Bruce Cassidy won't be the bench boss that the Maple Leafs ultimately decide on. Instead, they may look for a fresh face to be Toronto's 42nd coach.
With the Toronto Maple Leafs officially moving on from coach Craig Berube on Wednesday, GM John Chayka and the rest of the organization's brass will search for a new bench boss.
Former Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy has been regarded as the No. 1 candidate available to coach next season.
However, on Friday's episode of Sportsnet's 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman shared that he doesn't believe Cassidy will be the most likely candidate to be named the Maple Leafs' 42nd head coach in franchise history.
"I do think (Toronto will) reach out to talk to Cassidy," Friedman said. "But… I'd say it's extremely unlikely he's going to end up being the guy in Toronto."
The NHL insider continued to describe what the Maple Leafs organization may be looking into in terms of who their next bench boss will be.
"I do think they are prepared to go fresh," he said.
TSN's Darren Dreger made the same report on Thursday evening on OverDrive. Dreger said that Toronto's next hire could be in the realm of someone who is "young and relatively inexperienced from a professional perspective."
One candidate that fits the criteria of a young, inexperienced, fresh face is AHL Abbotsford Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra. Along with Malhotra, Friedman listed a couple of other new faces who could be considered.
"I think Malhotra, very legitimate candidate," he said. "I think Woodcroft, potentially a candidate. I do think, if David Carle wanted to talk to them, I think he would be a candidate, and there's going to be others."
He also mentioned Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden as someone who is having success, leading his team to the third round of the Calder Cup playoffs and winning Game 1 against the Cleveland Monsters.
But as for Cassidy, and what seems like any well-known veteran bench boss, reports indicate that won't be the path the Maple Leafs go down in this off-season.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.