Maple Leafs Interview New Candidate For Head Coach

The Toronto Maple Leafs interviewed Dallas Eakins for their head coaching vacancy, adding a name with deep organizational roots to a search that has now produced formal interviews with Patrick Roy, Peter Laviolette, Jay Woodcroft, and more.

Eakins, who is currently serving as head coach and sporting director of Adler Mannheim in Germany's DEL, spent eight years in the Toronto organization before his first NHL head coaching opportunity.

Dallas Eakins is another name the Maple Leafs have interviewed for their head coaching vacancy, per @TheFourthPeriod.

Eakins formerly coached with the Maple Leafs as an assistant for a few years and was the head coach of the Marlies for four seasons. He last coached in the NHL… pic.twitter.com/YjjULReqcd

— Leafslatest (@Leafslatest) June 4, 2026

He joined the Marlies as an assistant in 2005-06, moved to the Maple Leafs' staff as an assistant coach and director of player development, founded the team's development program, and then returned to the Marlies as their head coach for three seasons before departing for Edmonton.

The NHL Track Record

Eakins has two NHL head coaching stops on his resume.

He went 36-63-13 with the Oilers from 2013 to 2015 before being replaced, then returned to the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks from 2019 to 2023, where he compiled a 133-160-38 record across four seasons that included one playoff appearance.

His best Anaheim season came in 2020-21 when the Ducks went 17-21-8 in a shortened season that showed developmental progress with a young roster.

Also in the notes in today's column, per sources Dallas Eakins interviewed with the Maple Leafs earlier this week for their Head Coach position.

Also, Jay Leach is the frontrunner for the Head Coach role in Hartford (AHL). Expectation is he takes over the Wolfpack. https://t.co/KLdKOOSZcF

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 4, 2026

The overall win-loss record across both stops is not impressive enough to make him a frontrunner for one of the most scrutinized coaching jobs in the sport, and Eakins does not really fit the profile of an experienced-winner candidate that John Chayka described as a priority when the search began.

What Eakins Actually Offers

Eakins appeared on Leafs Morning Take in April and spoke compellingly about what the organization needs, identifying the Carolina Hurricanes and Rod Brind'Amour as the model franchise for how to build identity and accountability.

He has spent the last four seasons in Adler Mannheim deepening his knowledge of European hockey systems and building a track record as an organizational builder rather than just a bench coach.

His familiarity with the Toronto market, the Marlies system, and the specific pressure points of this franchise is pretty strong, and Chayka may value the organizational knowledge that comes with a candidate who helped build the development infrastructure still in place today.

Toronto has the first overall pick, cap space, and a roster expected to compete around Auston Matthews next season.

The bar for the next coach is high, and most who have covered this search closely view Eakins as a long shot to clear it.

Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images