The Best Candidates for Maple Leafs Head Coach After Craig Berube's Firing

John Chayka's first act as Leafs GM was a big one: The Leafs fired Craig Berube on Wednesday after he served as head coach for two seasons.

Berube led the Leafs to the second round in his first season at the helm, but the second was a rough one for all involved. Toronto was expected to make a playoff run, but instead posted a 32-36-14 record to finish seventh in the Atlantic Division and miss the postseason for the first time since 2016-17. 

The Leafs were dealing with the departure of Mitch Marner and a slew of injuries as they declined last season, so it wasn't all on Berube, but it's clear that management is looking for a fresh start all around.

The coaching search is officially on in Toronto, and so is the pressure to finally land the right long-term bench boss.

Bruce Cassidy

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Cassidy, who was let go by the Golden Knights during their end-of-season rut, feels like the most obvious choice as the next Leafs head coach.

He's got a Cup under his belt with the 2022-23 Golden Knights and a perennial reputation for making the playoffs. He has never missed the playoffs in his nine years as an NHL coach, with three appearances in Vegas and six in Boston.

Speaking of Boston, several of Cassidy's playoff stints there were infamous: round-one victories over the Leafs. While plenty has changed since his last year in Boston in 2022, it's safe to say he's extremely familiar with plenty of members of this Leafs core.

The Oilers are reportedly interested in Cassidy, and this complicates things not only because of the high demand. It also came out that the Golden Knights may be withholding permission from the Oilers to interview Cassidy. Is this a matter of in-division rivalry drama, or would it extend to the Leafs?

Either way, it's not the best look from Vegas, and Cassidy is bound to end up somewhere. He's a great tactical coach and does a great job of helping the best players reach an even higher level, but is that what the Leafs are looking for now that they've got the No. 1 pick?

David Carle

My sources in and around college hockey continue to indicate that 36-year-old Carle has no intention of leaving Denver quite yet. His success with the Pioneers and his dedication to the program only add to the intrigue and interest growing around him in NHL circles.

He'd be an excellent choice, considering he'd jump into developing a No. 1 overall pick, likely from the NCAA pipeline if Gavin McKenna goes first. Carle has led Denver to the 2022, 2024, and 2026 national championships, and also boasts experience coaching the U.S.'s World Junior team.

He continues to build an incredible resume for the day he decides to answer the NHL's call -- if that day comes at all. But it seems like he's still focused on the legacy he's building with Denver.

Peter Laviolette

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When it comes to the NHL coaching carousel, you can bet Peter Laviolette will be making an appearance.

He has coached for seven different NHL teams over more than two decades, with the 2006 Hurricanes' Stanley Cup and Stanley Cup Final appearances to his credit.

He led the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024, but their subsequent decline led to his firing after the 2024-25 season.

You get what you get with Laviolette: Experience, a history of making the playoffs, but maybe not the most exciting Cup hopes. With the Leafs looking for a fresh start, delving too far into the past might not be the way to go.

Jay Woodcroft

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Woodcroft has served as a video coach and assistant in several high-profile NHL coaching systems, and his short stint as the Oilers' head coach led to a Conference Finals appearance.

He's been around several drastically different coaches and systems, with time spent in Detroit and Edmonton, and now as an assistant coach in Anaheim. He's got experience working with some of the biggest names in the game, including Connor McDavid, and he brings more of a player-first approach than Berube.

It could be a welcome departure, as Berube's approach clearly didn't quite click for Auston Matthews and co.

Manny Malhotra

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NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that if the AHL's Abbotsford head coach Manny Malhotra becomes available, he will be on the Leafs' radar.

It makes sense: Malhotra was an assistant coach for the Canucks from 2017-20, then for the Leafs from 2020-2024.

Malhotra has been on the radar as an up-and-comer to watch for a while now, and his Calder Cup win in his first season with Abbotsford in 2024-25 turned even more heads.

Toronto's reported interest in Malhotra shows Chayka and this new management group aren't necessarily interested in recycling the same old names.

Wild Card: Kris Knoblauch

Considering the Oilers reportedly requested permission to speak with Bruce Cassidy, it's safe to say Kris Knoblauch's future as the Oilers' head coach is in question.

Knoblauch is facing a lot of criticism as the Oilers' first-round exit is causing frustration all around, and much of it is valid. Still, we shouldn't lose sight of how Knoblauch took over as head coach when the team was a mess, led the Oilers on a historic winning streak, and took them to two Stanley Cup Finals, which they lost by inches.

He's got ample experience working with the stars of the game and the pressure and chaos that comes with. Most of the Oilers' struggles have come from poor roster construction and wear-and-tear -- not from coaching decisions.

Maybe a change of scenery -- but a similar scene -- could remind us how effective Knoblauch has been at his best.