Maple Leafs Expand Head Coaching Search To Their Atlantic Division Rivals

 

Head coach Craig Berube was fired on May 13th, after meeting with the Toronto Maple Leafs general manager, John Chayka, and executive advisor of hockey operations, Mats Sundin. 

The group met on the weekend, before GM Chayka would pull the trigger and restart the team's hunt for a coach after Berube's two seasons behind Toronto's bench. 

Once thought to be a premier coaching prospect in the NHL after winning a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, Berube's stock has fallen after a disappointing tenure in Toronto. 

His record, albeit impressive during the regular season: 84-62-18. He took over the head coach role after the Maple Leafs fired Sheldon Keefe in May, 2024. 

Berube wasn't able to break the Maple Leafs' curse despite his attempts, and in 2025, we saw their customary first-round exit. In 2026, he was unable to drag them into the playoffs, with a regular season record of 32-36-14 and 8th in the Atlantic Division. 

A stark contrast to his 108-point season the year prior. 

The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta reported that the team is expanding their search for a coach to their rivals in the Atlantic Division, the Boston Bruins. 

David Pagnotta: Re Maple Leafs coaching search: He was in the mix for a couple jobs last summer, I could certainly see him being a potential target...Jay Leach in Boston - The Sheet (5/13)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) May 16, 2026

Is A Former Bruin The Solution For The Maple Leafs? 

Jay Leach was hired by the Boston Bruins in June 2024 as an assistant coach, and last season was one of the finalists for the head coaching role in Boston, prior to the hiring of Marco Sturm. 

The three seasons before, he spent with the Seattle Kraken, under former head coach Dave Hakstol.

The former Bruins defenseman has overseen the club's blueline and is garnering interest from a Maple Leafs front office desperate for a change in the status quo. 

Is Leach really their guy?

It was a tough season for the Bruins’ defense last year, with injuries to Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm further compounding Boston’s issues. The Bruins allowed 3.30 goals per game last season — which ranked 26th in the NHL.

I'd be hesitant, but with analytical wunderkind John Chayka behind the scenes, who knows what's in store for the original six franchise?

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images