After losing Manny Malhotra last week, the Toronto Maple Leafs have another coaching candidate come off the board, as the Los Angeles Kings hire Peter Laviolette.
Only two teams in the NHL remain without a head coach going into the 2026-27 season. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers are alone in that category, as the Los Angeles Kings have reportedly hired Peter Laviolette, signing a three-year deal.
For the Maple Leafs, that's the second name that has come off the board in terms of available head coaches.
On June 1, the Vancouver Canucks hired Manny Malhotra, who was linked to the Maple Leafs' gig for some time.
Laviolette was expected to be a finalist for the Leafs, as well as the Oilers, in their respective hiring processes. Toronto's list continues to shrink as the off-season strums along.
In the midst of Laviolette being hired by Los Angeles, TSN's Pierre LeBrun did provide an update on Toronto's search for a new head coach.
According to LeBrun, in-person interviews are beginning this week for the Leafs, marking the second phase of the search. The NHL insider believes that this second phase of the coaching search includes "about five candidates."
The latest name to emerge in Toronto's quest for a new head coach was Joe Pavelski, a retired star center for the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars. On top of Elliotte Friedman's reporting on Pavelski, other reports have indicated that Leafs GM John Chayka and his staff may be looking into a hire of a candidate with slightly more experience.
"I still get the sense they're going to lean for someone with a little more experience than Pavelski has as an NHL head coach," Chris Johnston reported on The Chris Johnston Show.
"Doesn't mean he won't get the job, but I still view someone like Peter Laviolette as a prime candidate for this position with the Leafs," he added.
So, with clear reports that the Maple Leafs were interested in Laviolette becoming the 42nd head coach in franchise history, they'll have to pivot as they enter the second phase of their search.
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