Darryl Sutter is a wild card regarding the head coaching possibilities in Toronto. He is a recent Jack Adams Award winner (2022) and has a history with current Maple Leafs general Brad Treliving since they worked together in Calgary.
Of course, he’s got a checkered past for his old-school approach to coaching, but maybe that is what the team’s superstars need to get them to the next level.
On Tuesday, the NHL rumor mill was busy, with many in the hockey community wondering if Sheldon Keefe, head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was on the cusp of losing his job.
As the fifth-winningest coach in franchise history, Keefe (187-83-38) is the only bench boss in the past decade to lead the team to a playoff series win, advancing to the second round in 2022-23.
Even though that earned him some praise from management and the passionate fan base, this season, the Maple Leafs are not meeting expectations (21-12-8), and the rumors are circulating that his time behind the bench may end.
If Toronto decides to move on from Keefe, who replaced Mike Babcock on Nov 20, 2019, plenty of former NHL head coaches could step up in the role in the league’s most demanding hockey market.