The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the news today on this the eve of Game 7 of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Final, as General Manager Brad Treliving has announced the addition of Marc Savard as an assistant coach to the club’s coaching staff. Treliving is quietly trying to build up the organization behind the scenes. The Leafs have gone over a lot of turnover off the ice in a short amount of time since being ousted in the first round of this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs to the Boston Bruins. Sheldon Keefe was fired as head coach a little over a month ago now. This follows from last offseason, when Kyle Dubas left Toronto and joined the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. Therefore, when GM Treliving came in last offseason, he knew he had his work cut-out for him. After the disappointing playoff result, you new change was coming.
The Maple Leafs Hire Marc Savard as Assistant Coach
We’ve hired Marc Savard as an assistant coach
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 23, 2024
Having Marc Savard come on board for the Toronto Maple Leafs seems to be a solid hockey move. Savard was always a respected offensively gifted player during his playing days. He was a five-time 20-goal scorer, and four times had 63 or more assists. He finished with 706 career points, before injuries prevented him from prolonging his career. Furthermore, he did have a prestigious honour bestowed on himself at the end of his playing career. In his last season as a player, the 2010-11 season, as a member of the Boston Bruins, he did not play the required amount of games to get his name engraved on the cup.
Fortunately, the Bruins organization petitioned in his name, and he did eventually get his name engraved on Lord Stanley’s Holy Grail. Additionally, with the injuries at the tail end of his career, Savard didn’t actually formally retire from the NHL until 2018.
Report: The Toronto Maple Leafs Have Hired their New Head Coach
On to Savard’s off-ice career thus far. He hasn’t had much to build his resume. However, he did interestingly enough coach with Craig Berube in St. Louis, during the 2019-20 campaign. Moreover, he had two successful campaigns coaching the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires. Both years the club had a .691 win % of better. He had the honour of coaching Shane Wright in his second year in Windsor. Most recently he was on the Calgary Flames coaching staff in 2023-24.
What Does this Mean to the Leafs Organization
For the Leafs organization, Treliving is bringing in a trusted hockey mind to his coaching staff. After hiring Craig Berube as coach a little over a month ago, they still needed to round out there staff. With Berube’s familiarity with Savard, and Savard’s reputation as a great hockey mind from his playing days, it seems like a very solid addition. Also, this type of move helps direct more of Treliving’s focus to the on-ice product. With the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, followed soon after by free agency all within a little over a week’s time, the action will get frantic. Not to mention all the rumours swirling already around Mitch Marner, and will he re-sign, or how Treliving plans to address the goaltending. Stay tuned, as like always, the next short while looks like non-stop drama in Leaf Land.
Main photo credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
