Why the Maple Leafs Hired Two Assistant Coaches When They Only Needed One
The Maple Leafs hired Guy Boucher and Mike Van Ryn on Thursday and shuffled some assignments.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were in search of a new assistant head coach who can help run the offense and power-play duties.
After an extension search, they hired two different coaches. Guy Boucher returns to the NHL for the first time since he served as head coach of the Ottawa Senators back in 2019. Mike Van Ryn also joined after a five-year stint as an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues.
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So why two people for one vacancy?
Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe liked both of them.
"In going through that process I came across two people who can really help us," Keefe said in a Zoom call on Thursday. "As (Maple Leafs GM) Brad Treliving had communicated to me to was put together the best staff possible to help us win."
Keefe had talked to candidates about leading the offensive side of things after Spencer Carbery departed this offseason to become the new head coach of the Washington Capitals.
Boucher will run the offense and the new-look coaching staff
Boucher will help with the power play and offensive duties in Toronto this season. Keefe cited Boucher's "passion" for that part of the game.
"With Guy, you get a lot more with his experience and skill set as a head coach and I really came to value that with what Spencer brought, being a head coach at the AHL level,” Keefe said adding that he's known Boucher for quite some time, having previously talked to him about vacant positions with the Leafs in the past.
The familiarity between Boucher and the Maple Leafs runs deep. In 2015, team president Brendan Shanahan cited Boucher as a strong candidate for the team's head coaching position that ultimately went to Mike Babcock.
Although Van Ryn has some experience on the offensive side of things, his expertise is defense, helping the Blues win a Stanley Cup in 2019. He will run the defense with assistance from Dean Chynoweth, who will focus on the penalty kill, but provide assistance on defense as well.
Manny Malhotra, who began his tenure with the Leafs working on the power play before shifting over to the faceoffs and other duties, will continue those duties but he will not be on the bench on game nights. He'll watch the games from upstairs. The Leafs haven't had an assistant coach watch games from up top Paul MacLean had been away since 2021.
"It's as complete as a staff as we had in my time (as head coach)," Keefe said.
Keefe has hired two when he needed one before
When the Seattle Kraken hired Dave Hakstol away from the Maple Leafs in 2021, they hired Chynoweth to replace him as an assistant, they hired Carbery around the same time and shuffled around some of the duties.
"There was no hesitation (from the team) to add an additional guy to our staff," Keefe explained. "It's going to be a collaborative staff while everyone has their own roles."
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