With the questions being raised about Mats Sundin returning to the Leafs, people seem to be forgetting about something else the Leafs need to deal with. Who are the Leafs going to hire as the coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs? With names being flown around all over the place one man seems under the radar as a candidate, Greg Gilbert.
This year with the Toronto Marlies he brought the team to a 50-21-9 record and led them to the Eastern Conference Final for the AHL's Calder Cup.
He also has NHL experience coaching the Calgary Flames over a three-year period and has had success at both the AHL and OHL level.
Along with the fact that he has a better understanding of how the Toronto Maple Leafs prospects can be utilized, I can't see how he can't be considered. He has knowledge of how the NHL works and with how far the Leafs prospects have come along, I wouldn't be suprised if he wasn't at least an assistant coach next year.
But one objection that people will probably have towards this is the Paul Maurice factor. He was the coach of the Marlies before he coached the Toronto Maple Leafs and look where he is now—fired. But there is one difference between the two of them.
Freedom.
Paul Maurice didn't have the freedom of having the players he wanted on the team. He was just forced to make things work with a cast of mediocre players. But with a new GM and new dedication to building within who else would better understand working with the prospects then Greg Gilbert.
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