After another head coach came off the Toronto Maple Leafs' list of candidates, here are five serious remaining contenders in the race to become the 42nd bench boss in franchise history.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are reaching the second phase in their search to hire the 42nd head coach in franchise history.
According to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, the Maple Leafs' second phase of the process is believed to include "about five candidates."
A few names have been removed from the Maple Leafs' radar since they fired Craig Berube in May. Manny Malhotra was hired by the Vancouver Canucks, and on Monday, the Los Angeles Kings hired Peter Laviolette, a coach who was believed to be among the finalists for the Maple Leafs' position, and even the Edmonton Oilers.
Aside from confirmed hires in other markets, David Carle seems like another bench boss who won't be joining Toronto after reports about him respectfully declining an interview.
Bruce Cassidy, one of the biggest head coaching names available, doesn't seem to be a favorite in the running for the Maple Leafs' vacancy. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman has mentioned multiple times that he doesn't see a fit for Toronto and Cassidy, meaning a marriage between the two doesn't seem likely.
Mike Van Ryn reportedly interviewed for the Maple Leafs job, and though he is an internal candidate, he's been with the organization for three years, and it's clear the organization is looking to make changes.
Not only does Van Ryn not have any head coaching experience in the NHL, but as an assistant in charge of the team's defensemen, it's hard to say he held up his end of the bargain when his team allowed the second-most goals in the NHL this past year. Therefore, doesn't seem like he'd be the final decision GM John Chayka makes for the team's head coaching gig going into next season.
With that said, who remains in the race as a serious head coaching candidate for the Maple Leafs? With the latest reports in mind, here is a list of five NHL coaches who could be among the final five, in no particular order.
Jay Woodcroft
There have been conflicting reports regarding Jay Woodcroft's status with the Maple Leafs and where he stands in getting the job.
Earlier this off-season, Frank Seravalli reported that Woodcroft was set to be interviewed by Toronto. But not long after, Friedman pushed back on that report, saying, "I do not believe Toronto has asked permission to talk to him."
Regardless, LeBrun added his two cents on Monday.
"I think Jay Woodcroft probably is," he said of Woodcroft's position among the remaining candidates for the Maple Leafs. He also added that he doesn't have that report 100 percent confirmed.
At any rate, Woodcroft would still be a worthy candidate given his tenure with the Oilers, leading the superstars of Edmonton to a 50-win regular season in his one full campaign with the organization. The Toronto native also took the Oilers beyond the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the two post-seasons he was there for.
Most recently, he spent the past year as an assistant coach alongside veteran head coach Joel Quenneville. Woodcroft helped the Ducks defeat his former Oilers in the first round of the 2026 post-season and is an effective offense-minded bench boss.
Derek Lalonde
Derek Lalonde may not be the hottest pick to be Toronto's next head coach, but he is certainly qualified to guide the Maple Leafs from behind the bench and has been interviewed for the job, for that matter.
Lalonde is an internal candidate, and though management has been making changes with Toronto's staff, Lalonde has been with the Leafs for one season and was excellent at his job.
The 53-year-old was in charge of the team's penalty kill last year, which was one of the few bright spots for the Leafs. Toronto was among the top 10 in the NHL for its penalty kill, converting at an 81.2 percent rate.
He's also won two Stanley Cups as an assistant coach during his four-year tenure with the Tampa Bay Lightning, meaning he knows what a winning team looks like.
As a head coach, he didn't have the best record with the Detroit Red Wings, coaching them through two-and-a-half seasons.
In total, his NHL record is 89-86-23 across 198 games behind the bench. However, in his best year with Detroit, 2023-24, the Red Wings missed the playoffs by a tiebreaker to the Washington Capitals. In different circumstances, Lalonde could've been the one to end Detroit's NHL post-season drought. But even since Todd McLellan came in, the Wings still don't have a post-season appearance to show for it after 10 years of missing the dance.
Joe Pavelski
Though the Maple Leafs indeed have Joe Pavelski on their radar for their vacant head coach position, he's certainly a surprising candidate. With that in mind, there is a fair reason for Toronto to be considering him.
Seeing how successful the hire of Martin St-Louis has been for the Montreal Canadiens, other teams may want to mimic the ideology of hiring a coach who was an NHL star, despite NHL coaching experience.
St-Louis coached minor hockey, as Pavelski has with the Madison Capitols U-15 AAA team, coaching his son, Nate.
It's certainly a risk, but it could also pay off with the hockey mind that Pavelski possesses. Even with his lack of experience as a head coach in hockey, he appears to be a real serious candidate for the Maple Leafs.
"It's been confirmed to me… Pavelski is among those five remaining candidates that is scheduled for in-person interviews this week with the Toronto Maple Leafs," LeBrun said on OverDrive.
It would be a huge challenge for Pavelski stepping into his first-ever crack at being a head coach, for the biggest hockey market in the NHL, and in a crucial upcoming season that could determine how the organization operates in the next few years.
Nonetheless, if Pavelski didn't feel comfortable in that situation, he wouldn't keep himself in the running. So even though he's played in smaller markets, the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars, he seems confident in the possibility of leading Toronto from behind the bench.
Patrick Roy
Patrick Roy is another former star player in the mix for the Maple Leafs' head coach role. However, he also comes with multiple years of experience as a coach in the NHL.
His latest tenure with the New York Islanders ended near the end of this past regular season. In what was his third year with the Isles, Roy was fired with four games remaining in the campaign to make way for Pete DeBoer.
However, Roy's dismissal at an odd time of the season shouldn't highlight his time in Long Island.
Though he never made the playoffs with the Islanders in his two full campaigns with the team, he was on a great path this past year, exceeding the team's expectations going into 2025-26. With the help of the 2025 first overall pick, Matthew Schaefer, the Islanders were competing for the post-season until the very end. In fact, the day before Roy was let go, New York was actually in a playoff spot.
Roy deployed Schaefer effectively, putting the rookie in positions to succeed, which ultimately led to him winning the Calder Trophy and setting the stage for what looks to be a long and successful NHL career.
That reputation may be enough for Chayka and the rest of Toronto's brass to seriously consider hiring Roy as the Leafs' next head coach.
"Patrick Roy is still in this process, I'm told," LeBrun reported.
Also, with the goaltending talent and depth that the Maple Leafs organization have in their system, who better to guide them than Roy, one of the best goaltenders in NHL history.
John Gruden
John Gruden is a candidate who hasn't been confirmed to be among the final list of candidates for the Maple Leafs, but there could be a very good reason for that.
Gruden is currently in the midst of a deep AHL Calder Cup run, as his Toronto Marlies have just advanced to the final following Sunday's win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, eliminating them in six games.
Because of this important stretch for the Marlies, it would make sense if the Maple Leafs kept any contact with Gruden under wraps. Any talk of a potential role in the NHL could become a distraction for the Marlies and hurt what could be a Calder Cup-winning campaign, which would only strengthen Gruden's case.
The 56-year-old has never been a head coach in the NHL, but does have experience as an assistant bench boss with the Islanders and Boston Bruins for five straight years before joining the Marlies in 2023-24.
But it's worth noting that coaches who go on to win the Calder Cup typically get a chance at coaching at the NHL level. That would apply to the likes of Jon Cooper, Jared Bednar, Jeff Blashill, Manny Malhotra, Sheldon Keefe, Ryan Warsofsky, and plenty more.
So, while no reports can confirm Gruden to be among the remaining names for the Maple Leafs' head coaching position, it wouldn't be absurd or shocking if he is a finalist.
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