The Toronto Maple Leafs have talked to Joe Pavelski about their head coaching position
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet: Multiple sources have said that Joe Pavelski is a training candidate in the subsequent phase of the Toronto Maple Leafs coaching search. One person said that it was a “Martin St. Louis-style candidate.”
Pavelski has been coaching his son’s youth hockey team in Madison, Wisconsin, since his retirement after the 2023-24 season. The Leafs did pass on some candidates for his or her lack of experience.
Peter Laviolette is a finalist for the Los Angeles Kings, together with Jay Woodcroft and D.J. Smith.
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Pierre LeBrun: “Joe Pavelski isn’t the one interesting name, although he sure is interesting obviously (@FriedgeHNIC first to report). Leafs GM John Chayka has spoken to greater than 20 coaching candidates. Hearing there’s a number of more interesting names in there. The search process is in its second phase now.”
@Nylanderthews: (posted video clip) Elliotte Friedman on the NHL Network, the Toronto Maple Leafs talking to Joe Pavelski about their vacant head coaching position.
“So it’s like once I heard this yesterday, it’s, I assumed someone was putting me on. And you recognize, so that you make a few calls, and you recognize, I didn’t know, the Leafs didn’t say anything. Pavelski didn’t say anything.
But you recognize, I did call someone, and, and so they said, who I feel would know, and so they called me back, and I form of got the impression it was like, what can I say about this. And so they called me back, and so they said that I feel when you were to border it because the Maple Leafs have an interest, and he’s a minimum of thinking about listening, that will be the suitable thing to do.
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And I check with it within the story, and on the pod, is just like the Maple Leafs own Martin St. Louis candidate. You realize, Martin, and it’s form of fitting within the sense that Montreal just went to the third round. St. Louis didn’t have any head coaching experience at senior levels, but he coached minor hockey, including his kids. Pavelski coached his son, Nate, in Madison last yr. I don’t think he’s done it for so long as St. Louis did it.
But you recognize, I mean, you guys all know him. Like he’s got a.. I mean, whether or not this actually happens, the rationale I feel people perked up like you probably did, KT, is that he has such enormous respect within the hockey (inaudible word).”
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