WHO’S NEXT: A list of candidates to become the new Maple Leafs coach

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With the firing of Sheldon Keefe on Thursday, there will be no shortage of candidates to become the 32nd head coach of the Maple Leafs.

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Speculation has Craig Berube as the front-runner, but Leafs general manager Brad Treliving wouldn’t be doing his due diligence if he didn’t conduct interviews with more than one or two possibilities.

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In the statement announcing that Keefe was being relieved of his duties, the Leafs said the search for a new head coach will begin “immediately.”

In odds released by BetOnline on Thursday, Berube is the favourite to be hired by the Leafs (at 3/1 odds), followed by Gerard Gallant (4/1), Jay Woodcroft (5/1), Bruce Boudreau (6/1) and Leafs assistant coach Guy Boucher (7/1).

Considering that the Winnipeg Jets, Seattle Kraken, San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils also are in need of a head coach, Treliving can’t waste any time.

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In his column today, our Steve Simmons makes a case for Joel Quenneville — who would require clearance from the NHL to return to coaching — to become the next Leafs coach.

Here’s glance at the list of other potential candidates to take over behind the bench in Toronto:

CRAIG BERUBE

Berube’s tenure as coach of the St. Louis Blues came to an end when he was fired in December. 

The 58-year-old Berube hit his peak early in his time as Blues coach, guiding the team to a Stanley Cup in 2019 on an interim basis after he took over from the fired Mike Yeo earlier that season. In June of that year, the Blues took the interim title off Berube.

A native of Calahoo, Alta., Berube also was head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers from 2013-15. His winning percentage in 543 games coached in the NHL is .517 (281-190-72), not close to the .607 winning percentage Keefe had in 349 games as Leafs coach.

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Of Berube’s 1,054 games as an NHL player, 40 were with the Leafs during the 1991-92 season. 

TODD MCLELLAN

The 56-year-old McLellan hasn’t been out of work long, sitting idle since Feb. 2 when he was fired by the Los Angeles Kings. 

McLellan first became an NHL head coach in 2008-09 when he started a seven-year run behind the bench of the San Jose Sharks. He coached the Edmonton Oilers starting in 2015 and was fired in November 2018 before moving on to Los Angeles to start the 2019-20 season. 

McLellan hasn’t coached a team to the Cup final, twice going to the Western Conference final with the Sharks.

The native of Melville, Sask., is 24th in NHL history with 1,144 games coached, compiling a .523 winning percentage.

GERARD GALLANT

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The 60-year-old native of Summerside, P.E.I., didn’t coach this past season after he and the New York Rangers mutually agreed to part ways in May 2023.

Gallant’s first stint as an NHL head coach was in 2003-04 with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He had some post-season success more recently with the Vegas Golden Knights (going to the Cup final in the expansion year of 2017-18) and Rangers, but has not won a Cup as an NHL head coach. 

In 705 games running an NHL bench, Gallant has a .523 winning percentage.

JAY WOODCROFT

The Toronto native has been biding his time since November, when the Edmonton Oilers fired him after a 3-9-1 start.

Woodcroft was a long-time assistant with the Sharks and Oilers, and coached Bakersfield to a Calder Cup championship in the American Hockey League in 2021, before he took over in Edmonton in February 2022 when Dave Tippett was fired.

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At 47, Woodcroft doesn’t have the experience of others on the list, going 79-41-13 (.594) in 133 games coached with the Oilers.

ROD BRIND’AMOUR

Whether Brind’Amour would be available is debatable and if his Carolina Hurricanes rally against the New York Rangers and go on to win the Cup, forget it.

However, on the off-chance that the Leafs still are in search-mode when/if Brind’Amour is on the market, it would be silly not to consider him.

The 53-year-old Ottawa native annually has had the Hurricanes advancing past the first round of the playoffs since he took over in 2018.

MIKE SULLIVAN

We’ll be curious to see whether Sullivan’s run in Pittsburgh will come to an end now that Keefe is available to be hired by Kyle Dubas.

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If Sullivan suddenly finds himself out of a job, he would bring a high level of respect to the role in Toronto.

The 56-year-old native of Marshfield, Mass., coached the Penguins to back-to-back Cups in 2016 and 2017, though Pittsburgh missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. 

Sullivan has a .533 winning percentage in 835 games as coach in Boston and Pittsburgh.

BRUCE BOUDREAU

You can imagine that the Toronto native would love nothing more than to lift the Cup while coaching his hometown team. 

The former Leafs player and Toronto Marlies star has been the head coach in Washington, Anaheim, Minnesota and Vancouver, and though he has been popular, has not won the Cup as an NHL coach. 

That Boudreau will turn 70 in January could work against him. He has a .568 winning percentage in 1,087 NHL games coached.

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GUY BOUCHER

Some eyebrows were raised when the Leafs’ assistant coaching staff survived the Keefe firing and Boucher came within a skate lace of getting the Leafs job when Mike Babcock was hired nine years ago.

Considering the way the Leafs power play crashed, burned and made no impact in the first round against the Bruins, call it a hunch, but we don’t think Leafs Nation would be thrilled if Boucher was promoted.

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