Now that the dust has somewhat settled in Toronto, after Tuesday’s announcement of the firing of coach Randy Caryle, the Maple Leafs have made it clear that they now plan to focus on this season before making any more coaching decisions. With Peter Horachek announced as interim head coach, along with Steve Spott and Steve Staios by his side on the bench, the Leafs now have an adequate coaching group to see out the 2015 campaign.
However, come season’s end, Brendan Shanahan and Dave Nonis will have to make a choice about who will lead the team into the next season. There are certainly some frontrunners, and some fan-favourites (honestly, all of whom are better options than Randy Carlyle). Of course, the list could change by the summer, with various coaches being hired and fired, but here, we’ll go through the leading candidates for the next Leafs head coach, in no particular order.
Peter Horachek
Although it may come as a surprise to some, it’s possible that one of the best candidates to coach the Leafs is already behind their bench. In just two games as head coach, the Leafs have seen significant improvement in terms of possession numbers, as well as defensive play, especially on Friday, against Columbus, where the Leafs outshot the Blue Jackets 32-20. It’s likely that this is mostly due to Horachek’s willingness to shuffle his lines, and to give his third and fourth line reasonable minutes, taking some of the load off his star players (in stark contrast to his predecessor). Horachek’s Florida Panthers team last year, despite winning less than 40% of their games, and finishing seventh in the Atlantic division, actually posted respectable possession stats, and were visibly dragged down by goaltending. Now, with Roberto Luongo in net, we’re seeing what that team can actually do – and they’re very much in the playoff race.
It’s also clear that the Leafs players have already taken to Horachek, nominating him as their player of the game on Friday. He could be the easiest choice for MLSE, to go with who they already know.
Mike Babcock
When the Maple Leafs announced they would wait until the summer to pick a permanent head coach, fans in Toronto immediately went into a frenzy of “Babcock Watch”. The Detroit coach is in the last year of his contract with the Red Wings, and he’s refusing to negotiate during the season. A lot of media, mostly in Toronto, has been hyping up a potential move to the Leafs for Babcock since last summer (when Randy Carlyle was still employed).
There’s no question Babcock is a good coach – he’s won a Stanley Cup, as well as two Olympic gold medals with Canada, to prove it. However, why would he want to go to Toronto? He has a good situation in Detroit, with a new wave of young players coming through the ranks, in probably the closest thing to a rebuild the Wings have had in twenty years. Some have said that he would like the challenge of the Leafs – taking a derelict, hopeless Original Six team to their first Cup in almost fifty years, but the real factor that nobody in either party will admit to is the abundance of wealth in MLSE.
With a salary cap, gone are the days when the Leafs could throw money at any free agent. However, there’s no cap on coaches. If Babcock does decide to leave Detroit, the Leafs do appear to be the most likely destination, since they’re probably the only team without a head coach that can give him a blank cheque. This decision seems to be entirely up to Babcock himself.
Pete DeBoer
Pete DeBoer was recently fired by the New Jersey Devils, in a move that was more about a need for some kind of change than anything else. In his final two and a half seasons with the Devils, he wasn’t able to recreate the success of his first year there, when New Jersey lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to Los Angeles. Despite missing the playoffs twice (and finding themselves out of the picture this year as well), DeBoer’s teams had excellent Corsi ratings the past couple years, last year really only missing the post-season because of their inability to win a shootout, and their reluctance to take starts away from Martin Brodeur. His firing was, in this case, more so the fault of his players, rather than his, with stars like Patrik Elias and Marek Zidlicky beginning to show their age.
The Devils have said they would allow the Leafs to talk to DeBoer if asked. It’s rumoured he’s the organization’s second choice, behind Mike Babcock.
Dallas Eakins
Although this is a bit of a controversial choice, the Leafs probably should at least consider Dallas Eakins. He spent seven years with the Leafs organization, including four as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. Eakins was recently relieved of his duties by the Edmonton Oilers, who yet again find themselves in a tailspin, with no light at the end of the tunnel (except perhaps, in Connor McDavid). It’s been widely said that Eakins lost the room in Edmonton, being unable to gain the confidence of top players like Taylor Hall in his year and a half there.
With the Marlies, however, Eakins had considerably more success. He led the team on two deep playoff runs, including in 2012, when they lost in the Calder Cup finals. Some critics have said that Eakins is not cut out for the NHL, but we really haven’t seen him at the helm of a decent NHL team. In Toronto, he already knows many of the players well, especially Nazem Kadri and Jake Gardiner, in whose development Eakins was instrumental.
Prior to his debacle with the Oilers, Eakins was known as a players’ coach. That could be just what the Leafs need, with rumours of attitude issues in the dressing room, as well as a widespread sentiment that the team really didn’t like Randy Carlyle. It’s unlikely the Leafs are willing to gamble on Eakins, but he would certainly be an intriguing choice.
Dan Bylsma
Dan Bylsma was fired by the Pittsburgh Penguins last summer, after another early exit from the postseason, this time in the second round, at the hands of the New York Rangers. Since winning a cup in his first season as coach, Bylsma’s Penguins have repeatedly been disappointing in the playoffs, especially for a team with such talent on its roster. Of course, that can’t be completely attributed to Bylsma; Pittsburgh has experienced shaky playoff goaltending and occasional lacklustre performances from stars like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. However, the Penguins felt they needed a change.
Bylsma certainly is not a bad coach, and apparently was quite well-liked in Pittsburgh (again, something the Leafs could benefit from). However, he would certainly have to adapt in Toronto, since he has no experience with a team without two generational talents at centre. It’s not like he could rely on Tyler Bozak the same way he could on Crosby. He will likely be considered for the Leafs job, but he probably isn’t a frontrunner (although many of Toronto’s fans seem keen on him). With several coaching jobs opening up in the NHL since his firing (Vancouver, Edmonton, New Jersey, and Ottawa to name a few), there could be a reason he’s still unemployed.
Verdict
All signs do seem to point to the Leafs waiting to see what Mike Babcock will do. If he doesn’t re-up with Detroit, then we could well see him in Toronto next season. However, if not, the Leafs will most likely give the permanent job to Peter Horachek, going with the guy they already know. Knowing he’s the team’s second choice could motivate Horachek both this season and next, trying to prove himself. Of course, making the playoffs this year wouldn’t hurt his case either.
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