A new surprise candidate has emerged in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ search for a new head coach, as the team is talking to Joe Pavelski.
New Maple Leafs GM John Chayka said to reporters this week at the NHL Scouting Combine that the franchise was talking to 55 head coaching candidates. It appears they are truly doing just that, as Pavelski has come out of nowhere as a surprise candidate to take over behind the Maple Leafs’ bench.
Leafs Talking to Joe Pavelski About Head Coaching Gig
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Maple Leafs are talking to Pavelski about becoming the team’s new head coach.
Friedman wrote: “According to multiple sources, the Future Hall-of-Famer is on the Maple Leafs’ radar as the team begins the next phase of its interview process, with one describing him as a ‘Martin St. Louis-style candidate.’ Pavelski, who retired at the end of the 2023-24 season, has coached son Nate at the youth level in Madison, Wisc. That’s similar to St. Louis’ path to Montreal. It’s an interesting twist, as Toronto backed away from some other candidates due to a lack of experience. (Another Maple Leafs’ interviewee, Peter Laviolette, is among Los Angeles’s finalists with incumbent D.J. Smith and Jay Woodcroft).”
Joe Pavelski Was an Incredible Hockey Player
The 41-year-old Pavelski retired two years ago after 18 seasons in the NHL for the San Jose Sharks and the Dallas Stars. He was originally drafted in the seventh round with the No. 205 overall pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Overall, he is one of the best seventh-round NHL draft picks of all time.
Pavelski played in 1332 regular-season games, scoring 476 goals and 1068 points. He also played in 201 postseason games, scoring 74 goals and 143 points in the playoffs.
Although Pavelski never had the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup as a player, he did make it to two Stanley Cup Finals with the Sharks and Stars, so he clearly knows what it takes to win in the NHL.
As Friedman said, although Pavelski’s coaching experience is limited, so was St. Louis’ before the Montreal Canadiens hired him as their head coach, and look how that’s turned out for them.
It would certainly be interesting if the Leafs hired Pavelski, given the team is in a position where they are going to try and get back into the playoffs after missing the postseason for the first time in a decade this past season. The failed season led to former Leafs GM Brad Treliving and former Leafs head coach Craig Berube both being fired by the team.
Since taking over as the Leafs’ new GM, Chayka has remained committed to a long and extensive search for the team’s new leader behind the bench, and he’s said that they are open to both experienced and inexperienced candidates — he just wants to get the best head coach possible that will grow with the team and presumed No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna.
Will that be Pavelski? It’s certainly possible, and we’ll find out soon if he’s their man.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post New Surprise Candidate Emerges in Leafs’ Head Coaching Search appeared first on HEAVY.