As candidates start to emerge for the vacant Maple Leafs assistant coach position, it pretty much confirms what has been believed for a while.

The narrative around the Toronto Maple Leafs has changed over the course of the last week. 

It no longer seems to be about the status of Sheldon Keefe and his standing as the team's head coach. But rather, what assistant will replace the departing Spencer Carbery, who became the new head coach of the Washington Capitals in May.

TSN's Darren Dreger reported over the weekend that both Keefe and Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving were well into the process of interviewing new assistants to replace Carbery.

On the latest episode of the '32 Thoughts' podcast, Sportsnet's Jeff Marek tossed out some potential names to replace Carbery.

"Karl Taylor, who is the head coach for the Norfolk Admirals, Todd Nelson, whose Hershey Bears are in the Calder Cup final," Marek said. "Listen, I think a lot of us also wonder about Mitch Love, after he didn't get the Calgary (Flames head coaching) gig."

All three candidates are AHL head coaches. The fact that Keefe is reportedly involved in this process along with the fact that the NHL Draft is less than 10 days away, one has to conclude that Keefe is staying with the Leafs.

"It confirms what we've suspected for some time is that Keefe is coming back," Sportsnet Elliotte Friedman replied. "They haven't announced anything but he's coming back."

The only thing left to figure out is if Keefe just plays out the final year of his existing contract or if he is given a contract extension later in the summer. 

The Maple Leafs have undergone a series of changes in the front office over the last month. Kyle Dubas was dismissed as general manager on May 19 and replaced by Treliving on May 31.

In his introductory news conference as the new GM of the Maple Leafs, Treliving identified several priorities, including meeting with Keefe to discuss the coach's future.

Keefe has a 166-71-30 (.678) record in four seasons as bench boss of the Leafs, but has just one playoff series win during his tenure.

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