Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The Maple Leafs may have added an unexpected name to their coaching search, with Joe Pavelski reportedly set to enter the interview process.
Toronto is searching for a new head coach after a disappointing 2025-26 season that saw the club finish 32-36-14 and miss the playoffs. The fallout led to the departures of head coach Craig Berube and general manager Brad Treliving.
According to Sportsnet the Maple Leafs are expected to interview the recently retired forward as they continue the next phase of their coaching search.
“An unexpected name surfaces in Toronto’s coaching search — Joe Pavelski. According to multiple sources, the Future Hall-of-Famer is on the Maple Leafs’ radar,” Sportsnet shared on X.
Pavelski has never coached in the NHL but the report described him as a candidate in a similar mold to Martin St. Louis, who went from a Hall of Fame-caliber playing career to coaching the Montreal Canadiens.
Since retiring at the end of the 2023-24 season Pavelski has stayed involved in the game through youth hockey in Wisconsin, where he has coached his son Nate.
He spent 18 seasons in the NHL between the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars finishing with 476 goals and 1,068 points in 1,332 games. He also served as San Jose’s captain for four seasons before finishing his career in Dallas
What John Chayka is looking for in Maple Leafs’ next head coach
While Joe Pavelski has emerged as one of the candidates under consideration, Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka recently offered some insight into what the organization wants from its next head coach.
Speaking at the NHL Draft Combine the Toronto general manager said the organization interviewed around 20 candidates during the first round of the process.
“I thought it was incumbent upon us to be really diligent about how we were to go about this. We spoke to about 20 people in the first round, so we’ll go from there,” Chayka said. “We’re looking for a head coach with the experience in all of those things who has some versatility in their structure and approach and can take this team to the next level and lead the group ahead.”
The comments suggest Toronto is not focused on one specific coaching profile. The list of reported candidates has included established NHL names such as Bruce Cassidy, Peter Laviolette and Patrick Roy, along with younger options like David Carle.
Edited by Sonali Verma
