Randy Carlyle Fired: Ranking Best Candidates for Toronto Maple Leafs' Next Coach

The Toronto Maple Leafs fired head coach Randy Carlyle on Tuesday, according to the team's official website, and already the focus is shifting to the question of who should take over the job in the long term. The Leafs haven't named a long-term replacement yet, though the expectation is that assistant coach Peter Horachek will handle the job in the interim, as he did last season for the Florida Panthers. 

Who will eventually end up with the top job? That's anyone's guess, and it's a guessing game made more difficult by the fact that nobody knows what this summer's coaching market is going to look like. The Leafs have the money and the profile to compete for the best available candidate when the time comes, and there is no shortage of possibilities. 

Read on for our ranking of some of the obvious names. 

9. Sheldon Keefe

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Career notes: It's incredibly early to be talking about Keefe (shown here during his brief NHL career) as a major league head coach. He was spectacularly successful as coach/general manager of the Pembroke Lumber Kings before advancing to the OHL, where he's overseen a team in Sault Ste. Marie that has gone 71-26-9 under his watch.  

Why he might fit Toronto: Keefe was hired in Sault Ste. Marie by then-general manager Kyle Dubas, who is now a top executive with the Maple Leafs. It's a significant stretch to imagine the Leafs will hand him the head coaching position given the brevity of his career, but he does have a track record of success and significant ties to the organization. 

8. Peter DeBoer

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Career notes: A former Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick, DeBoer never did much as a player but has a long track record a the junior level. His NHL results have been underwhelming; in five of his six full seasons as a head coach, his teams have missed the playoffs. The exception was 2012, when in his first year in New Jersey, he guided the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final. 

Why he might fit Toronto: DeBoer was linked to the Leafs last summer by Rich Chere of The Star-Ledger, with the suggestion being that he might help revitalize David Clarkson, who has struggled to perform after signing a rich deal with Toronto. He has Ontario roots, but his NHL record isn't especially impressive. 

7. Dallas Eakins

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Career notes: After a promising stint as an AHL coach, Eakins took on his first NHL job in Edmonton. Things did not go well. The Oilers have eaten coaches alive over the last few years—Eakins is just the latest on a list that includes Ralph Krueger, Tom Renney, Pat Quinn and current GM Craig MacTavish—so that probably shouldn't be seen as a damning indictment.  

Why he might fit Toronto: Eakins' promising AHL run took place in Toronto, where he ran the Leafs-affiliated Marlies; he was also previously an assistant coach for the team. He knows both the players and the organization well.  

6. Paul MacLean

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Career notes: A long-time minor league head coach, MacLean spent nearly a decade as an assistant to Mike Babcock, first in Anaheim and then in Detroit. He's held one NHL head coaching position, winning the Jack Adams Award in 2013 while with the Ottawa Senators.

Why he might fit Toronto: MacLean's track record in Ottawa was good enough that he'll probably land another NHL job in the not-too-distant future. Along with being one of the higher-profile coaches currently out of work, he's also a known quantity to Leafs president Brendan Shanahan, who played for the Red Wings during MacLean's time with the team.   

5. Peter Horachek

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Career notes: A current Toronto assistant, Horachek seems likely to take on the head coaching job in the interim. He's been coaching for nearly three decades and has a resume that includes a top-level minor league championship win as a head coach, a long apprenticeship in the NHL under Barry Trotz in Nashville and a decent run filling in for Kevin Dineen in Florida last season. 

Why he might fit Toronto: He's already in place, and while an interim tag guarantees nothing, it does function as something of a job interview. If the Leafs really take off under Horachek's guidance, it's going to be awfully difficult to make a case for an outside candidate. 

4. Dan Bylsma

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Career notes: Bylsma has been an NHL head coach for six seasons, and six times his team has made the playoffs. He won a Stanley Cup ring after guiding the Penguins to a championship in his rookie season behind the bench (2008-09). He also has a Jack Adams Award under his belt (2009). The only caveat is that all of his accomplishments come with a team that regularly sent both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin over the boards. 

Why he might fit Toronto: If he's the best coaching candidate out there, he's a fit anywhere. Bylsma might be a superb coach, or he might simply be a good one who was given a great team out of the box in the NHL. We'll know more once we've seen what he does at his next stop. 

3. Guy Boucher

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Career notes: It's fair to use the word "meteoric" to describe Boucher's progression up the coaching ladder. In a span of little more than half a decade, he went from being a QMJHL assistant to a head coaching position in the NHL, winning a title in junior and guiding deep playoff runs in both the minors and majors along the way. 

Why he might fit Toronto: It's less about connections to the team and more about the possibility that he might be the best coach out there. His climb to the top was matched by an equally rapid fall, and presumably, he's going to get another shot in the majors in the near future.   

2. Todd McLellan

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Career notes: San Jose's head coach has made the playoffs in every year of his tenure, but he has not been able to get the Sharks over the hump. As a result, he's well-regarded for his work with the team even as his future with it is a source of constant speculation. Prior to that post, he was an assistant coach in Detroit and won a championship as an AHL bench boss. 

Why he might fit Toronto: Aside from potentially being the best coach available this spring (as always, this is speculative; he still has a job and might well keep it for years to come), McLellan also has history with Brendan Shanahan from Detroit. 

1. Mike Babcock

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Career notes: Babcock is in his 10th season with Detroit, and his future with the club is the subject of much debate because he's been so successful. No matter how much the roster changes or which star retires, the Red Wings are always competitive. 

Why he might fit Toronto: Babcock is one of the very best coaches in hockey, perhaps even the very best coach. He's not only been consistently successful on the ice in Detroit, but he's helped mentor a series of other good coaches. When Shanahan played under him in 2005-06, his assistants were McLellan and MacLean; he's since had Carolina coach Bill Peters and up-and-comer Jeff Blashill on staff, too. If he were to decide not to re-sign in Detroit, Toronto (and a host of other teams) would doubtless be very interested.