Craig Berube maintains his frontrunner status for the Maple Leafs’ head coaching gig despite drawing interest from across the league amidst five other openings at the position.
All signs point to Craig Berube being the leading candidate for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ coaching vacancy.
On Wednesday’s most recent edition of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is led to believe that Berube is still “the guy” for the Maple Leafs’ vacancy behind the bench, solidifying the idea that the Alberta native remains the front-runner despite evidence possibly claiming otherwise.
“To me, he’s the guy, but nothing is done until it’s done,” Friedman said. “The one thing about (general manager) Brad Treliving is, even if everyone thinks it’s obvious or people are speculating it’s obvious, he wants to at least slow down the process a bit. He doesn’t want to rush into anything.”
The search for a new Leafs coach began last week when Sheldon Keefe was dismissed Thursday, general manager Brad Treliving emphasized the importance of avoiding emotional decisions but completing a thorough search while finding the right candidate for the position.
The Leafs are believed to have met with Berube on Saturday and are now six days removed from the departure of Keefe, no hiring has come to fruition. According to DailyFaceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the highly sought-after coach interviewed with the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday and previously with the New Jersey Devils– raising some uncertainty across Leafs nation.
At the management’s end-of-season press conference on Friday Treliving was quoted saying, “We’re not waiting. We’re going to be thorough. This isn’t something that’s going to be hastily done, but we certainly know that there’s some quality candidates out there. We want to get them as fast as we possibly can.”
On top of a reported interview with Todd McLellan, the Leafs have seemingly been precise in the candidates they are looking for. With the offseason in full swing for the organization, a decision can be expected soon with regulating work needed in free agency, trades, and re-signing procedures – which are choices to be made right around the corner.
