The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired Craig Berube.
“This decision is more reflective of an organizational shift and an opportunity for a fresh start than it is an evaluation of Craig,” general manager John Chayka said in a release.
So, what could that fresh start look like? Who are the potential options to lead the Leafs forward?
Chayka’s only head coach hire with the Arizona Coyotes was Rick Tocchet in 2017. Let’s take a look at some of the options he could be considering in his first pivotal hire as new Leafs general manager.
Bruce Cassidy
The former Vegas Golden Knights coach will be near the top of any list of replacements for Berube and with good reason: He’s been a head coach in the NHL for parts of 10 seasons and won a Stanley Cup with Vegas in 2023. In a stunning turn of events, Cassidy was fired by the Knights with eight games remaining in the regular season after a late-season slide. The Knights are playing in the second round of the playoffs with a 3-2 series lead on the Anaheim Ducks.
Cassidy is respected and thoughtful, and while he can employ a similar approach as Berube — uber-demanding — he does have a resume that suggests his approach works.
One thing to watch: It’s been reported this week that the Knights withheld permission for the Edmonton Oilers to interview Cassidy for a possible coaching job. Cassidy is still under contract. Would the Knights do so again if the Leafs came calling?
“Usually the first thing you think of is the market, does the team have a chance, how does it impact your family? Then you worry about the city later. Is ownership solid?” Cassidy said in April when discussing whether he would be open to coaching in a Canadian city. “It would be cool to win a Stanley Cup in a Canadian city right now because it’s been a while.”
Peter Laviolette
If it’s experience Chayka wants in the next Leafs coach, Laviolette will have to be considered.
Laviolette has spent parts of 24 seasons in the NHL, almost all of them as a head coach. He has coached for seven different teams and has a Stanley Cup (2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes) on his resume. Laviolette has also taken two other teams to the Stanley Cup Final.
Laviolette’s last job was with the New York Rangers. He squeezed the last drops out of the Rangers core in 2024, taking them to the third round of the playoffs. The Rangers failed to make the postseason in 2025 and their rebuild was clearly underway. Laviolette was fired after the 2024-25 season.
Laviolette has made a lot of trips far deeper in the postseason than this Leafs core ever has. That could matter to Chayka.
Steve Sullivan
The former NHL winger quickly moved from Toronto Marlies assistant coach to the Leafs bench as an assistant in charge of the power play this season after former assistant coach Marc Savard was fired in December.
At 51, Sullivan is young and could offer a fresh perspective on the Leafs. It’s not just his recent time in Toronto that puts him on this list, however: Chayka spent his entire five-season tenure with the Coyotes working with Sullivan in some capacity.
Sullivan worked with the Coyotes from 2014 to 2021, in roles including development coach, director of player development and assistant general manager. Would Chayka have liked what he saw from Sullivan in Arizona to give him a chance as an NHL head coach? The Leafs appear to be skewing younger, with the incoming No. 1 pick and players such as Easton Cowan and Ben Danford set for more prominent roles on the roster. Would Sullivan’s time spent in development help his cause?
Jay Woodcroft
Woodcroft is 49 but has worked in the NHL for a long time: he began as a video coach for the Detroit Red Wings in 2005 before moving up to an assistant coach with both the San Jose Sharks and the Edmonton Oilers. His time as head coach in Edmonton was brief, but Woodcroft did lead the Oilers to the third round of the playoffs with a patient, player-first approach. Woodcroft is currently an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks.
What sticks out about Woodcroft is that he has consistently worked with superstars: Henrik Zetterberg, Joe Thornton, Connor McDavid. Woodcroft is not afraid to let his top offensive dogs eat in the offensive zone, and you wonder if his approach could work wonders with Auston Matthews and William Nylander.
David Carle
Long thought of as the best coach not in the NHL, Carle just won his third NCAA championship in five years with the University of Denver. Oh, he’s won two gold medals with the United States at the World Juniors, too. At 36, Carle has certainly demonstrated a winning pedigree.
Carle reportedly withdrew from consideration for the head coach job with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2025. He’s likely waiting for the right opportunity to arise. With the combination of fresh young talent in the incoming top pick and superstars hungry for a Stanley Cup, does Toronto make sense?
Jussi Ahokas
It’s high time for the NHL to welcome more European coaches into the head coaching ranks. Could the 45-year-old Finnish-born Ahokas, who has always been upfront about his desire to move to the NHL, be one of the first?
Ahokas is highly innovative. He claimed his first OHL Championship on Tuesday with the Kitchener Rangers. He’s spent three seasons in the OHL after four seasons as a head coach in Finland’s top division.
“Hockey is a global sport,” Kitchener GM Mike McKenzie told The Athletic in 2023 of hiring a European coach. “I think sometimes in Canada, we’re guilty of thinking we own the game. And we don’t. There’s lots of good hockey people outside Canada.”
Manny Malhotra
After seven years as an NHL assistant, including four in Toronto under Sheldon Keefe, Malhotra appears on the precipice of becoming an NHL head coach. Malhotra has plenty of experience running the Leafs power play, and that’s an area that will need to improve next season.
He is currently head coach of the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks and has looked comfortable developing young talent.
