Ranking the Best Candidates for the Toronto Maple Leafs Head Coaching Job

On Sunday, Peter Horachek was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs after finishing the season with a record of 9-28-5. He stepped into the picture in January after Randy Carlyle, 21-16-3 at the time, was fired.

The Leafs have some systemic issues that need to be corrected, which may require a massive rebuild. Hiring a coach will be the most important piece of the rebuild, because the coach will set the tone and the direction for the team going forward.

The general manager will add pieces to the roster, but having a confident and qualified voice behind the bench to sculpt those pieces will be key.

This is a situation in which a long-term coach should be installed—not one who is simply there to oversee the rebuild. There are a number of qualified and experienced candidates, and here are the best available potential head coaches for the Leafs.

7. John Tortorella

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Work History

John Tortorella is a veteran NHL bench boss who has a regular-season record of 446-375-37-78, including a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004. He went to the Eastern Conference Finals with the New York Rangers in 2011-12 and was last seen spending one eventful season with the Vancouver Canucks.

He is a coach who once preached a "safe is death" style, but he then became a coach who emphasized playing the "right way." The "right way" is a code phrase to describe playing a buttoned-down game—blocking shots, hitting and other boring hockey tactics.

Is He a Good Fit?

Yes and no. Tortorella has a rocky history with the media, but frankly, the Leafs need a tough coach. If he were coaching the team this year, he would have chewed out the numerous reporters who took potshots at forward Phil Kessel.

He is abrasive, curt and employs a "talk first, ask questions later" style, enabling him to make himself the story in an effort to defend his players.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't survive, and he would probably make the Leafs a sideshow again. The team wants a clean slate, and Tortorella's style of hockey doesn't fit the team. He is a great coach to come in for a few years and take a team from average to above average, although he did build the championship Lightning team from the ground up.

To a degree, he did that with the Rangers, and players such as Ryan Callahan, Derek Stepan, Dan Girardi, Brandon Dubinsky and numerous others got better under his tutelage. If he were given a chance by the media—which will never happen—Tortorella could clean up some of the nonsense that is going on and lay a foundation for the team to build on.

6. Ted Nolan

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Work History

Ted Nolan was also fired on Sunday, since his Buffalo Sabres were one of the few teams worse than Toronto this season. He initially spent two years in Buffalo from 1995 to 1997, and he was fired after winning the Jack Adams Award.

He then joined the New York Islanders for a brief stint after taking a 10-year absence from coaching, and he stayed out of the NHL for another four seasons before returning to Buffalo.

Is He a Good Fit?

Nolan would be a better fit for Toronto the hockey team and more so for Toronto the media market than Tortorella. He has a tough personality and a true desire to win, and he doesn't take any nonsense. He got a bad shake with the Sabres this year but still went to work every day with the best of intentions.

Everyone in the world knew the Sabres were tanking harder than a college student at an end-of-semester party, but Nolan insisted on having his players give it their all each and every night. That could explain why tank commander general manager Tim Murray fired him, because winning games was not in the battle plans.

Nolan took some criticism for telling players who were trade candidates to "play for themselves," but in a way, he was looking out for their best interests. He isn't a top candidate for the Leafs by any means, but he has the personality to endure, the ability to make a difference and the desire to win.

Toronto needs a little bit of all of those traits, and a fired-up Nolan could be a risky, albeit worthwhile, proposition.

5. Joe Sacco

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Work History

Joe Sacco stood behind the bench for four seasons from 2009 to 2013 with the Colorado Avalanche and compiled a record of 130-134-30. He led the Avalanche to the playoffs once and has since stood behind the bench with the Boston Bruins as one of head coach Claude Julien's assistants.

Is He a Good Fit?

Sacco likes to play a fast-paced offensive style but is capable of adapting. He spent two years with the Lake Erie Monsters before taking over for Tony Granato in Colorado, and during his time with the Avalanche, he coached a number of talented youngsters such as Ryan O'Reilly, Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog, among others.

Members of the Avalanche such as Duchene spoke out after he was fired and criticized his coaching style, but it is fair to say that, since that point, Sacco has had time to learn and reflect.

Stepping away from the head coach position has probably helped him, especially in evaluating how he interacts with players. By taking command of a smaller segment of the team in an assistant role, Sacco has had the opportunity to fine-tune his approach.

Working with Julien has certainly given him experience to draw from and a new perspective on coaching. Sacco has the right amount of experience and insight to grow with a team trying to become better than they currently are, and that is why the Leafs should, at the very least, consider him for the vacant position.

4. Paul MacLean

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Work History

Paul MacLean recently worked as the head coach of the Ottawa Senators for four seasons before he was fired back in December 2014. Prior to that, he was an assistant under Mike Babcock with the Detroit Red Wings. He won the Jack Adams Award in 2012-13, has also coached in the minors and has a player's perspective after spending a number of years in the NHL.

Is He a Good Fit?

MacLean is a veteran coach who is respected and well-liked, and he could be a good fit for the Maple Leafs if he tweaks his coaching style. With the Senators, MacLean employed an uptempo style that saw a lot of the play go back and forth. 

The Leafs need to build a team that can defend, possess the puck and generate offense. While MacLean can help the team accomplish points two and three, the effectiveness of those traits might decline if he goes with a more defensive style.

3. Guy Boucher

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Work History

Guy Boucher is well-known for his tenure with the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that he took to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2011. Prior to coaching in Tampa, he coached the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and in Hamilton with the Bulldogs of the AHL. 

Is He a Good Fit

Boucher would be a great fit for the Maple Leafs because he is a young coach with a solid track record. His history of developing young forwards is key, since Toronto will have to rely on a number of youngsters for the upcoming seasons. An example of this is his work with Philadelphia Flyers forward Sean Couturier while he was in the QMJHL.

Randy Miller of NJ.com interviewed Couturier earlier this season, and this is what the young center had to say about his development under Boucher:

"

Growing up, I really was more offensive-minded. Then when I got to junior, I had Guy Boucher as a coach and I was more on the third and fourth lines. To be consistently in the lineup, I had to be a solid two-way forward and take care of my own end. At a young age, 15-16 years old, I kind of had to be that way if I wanted to play. 

It just got into my game, and ever since, that's the way I played.

"

This is the type of coach the Leafs want. They need someone who can coach, teach, mentor and help players reach their full potential.

2. Claude Noel

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Work History

Claude Noel was the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Winnipeg Jets for a total of 201 games from 2009 to 2014, and he posted a record of 90-87-24. He is currently the head coach of the WHL's Vancouver Giants. He has also coached in the AHL, IHL and ECHL, and his total coaching experience spans more than 20 years.

Is He a Good Fit?

Noel would be a very good fit for all aspects of the job. Dealing with the media is a big part of coaching in Toronto, and while in Winnipeg, he would address the media at press conferences with "Hello, beauties," according to a profile done by Kirk Penton of the Winnipeg Sun.

His calm approach would be welcome in Toronto, and his ability to not lose his cool would be put to the test early.

The biggest plus for him is his understanding of the developmental process, something the Leafs are going to need. In March, Noel reflected on the past season and explained what he took out of the process, via Steve Ewen of The Province:

"

For me, it was trying to learn about the junior players and their mentality. It was trying to learn and understand the league and trying to make assessments of our players, and that was a big learning process for me. That took me awhile to get that under control. When you coach, you always try to figure out who drives your team, who are the key guys on the ice and off the ice. That's a big job in junior. …

I think the main thing is dealing with young players. When I came in here, I wanted to know what the young player is all about in junior and how his world is so I could relay it to the pro level. … I wanted to see where they come from. I have a little of an idea now.

"

The experience he gained from dealing with young players this season—learning what motivates them, what gets them going and what makes them tick—is an invaluable asset, and one the Leafs should be very interested in.

1. Dan Bylsma

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Work History

Dan Bylsma won the 2009 Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh during his first rodeo as a head coach at the NHL level. Prior to that, he was the man in charge of the team's AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and was promoted midseason. Bylsma won a Jack Adams Award in 2011, but his demise came after failing to recreate the success he had early on as an NHL bench boss.

Is He a Good Fit?

Hiring Bylsma would be a wise decision for the Leafs because he covers all the things the organization is looking for in a coach. He is a humble person who understands how precious time in the NHL is, since his own playing career was cut short due to injuries.

His understanding of that fact will allow him to develop meaningful relationships, and he will be able to strike the fine balance between teacher and friend. As much as the Maple Leafs need someone to lead and hold the players accountable, they also need a coach who can console and help players.

The organization has been middling in failure, and it needs a person who is capable of coaching, teaching and mentoring players to be successful, not someone who will constantly break them down. Bylsma can also be a shield for his players from the media, as he will be the first to draw scrutiny if the team struggles.

He also knows what it is like to coach stars, and ultimately, the Leafs will be a team with some talented young stars who will hopefully lead the team to a Stanley Cup.

Bylsma did a good job with Sidney Crosby, and although there were rumors of a rift between the two, the NHL's best player admitted to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN that his playoff performance was at least partly to blame for Bylsma's firing.

Bylsma could be the best fit for Toronto, as they ultimately need a coach who has a "we are all in this together" mindset. That is exactly what he had when he took over the Penguins from Michel Therrien, and that first season ended with a Stanley Cup.

Coaching records via Hockey-Reference.com.