The Toronto Maple Leafs could be after another coach to join their bench after associate coach Lane Lambert’s departure.
Lambert, who joined Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube’s staff last summer as an associate coach (the first of its kind in Toronto), headed the club’s penalty kill. Toronto’s PK finished the regular season at 77.9 percent, the 17th-best in the NHL.
He vacated his post last week to become head coach of the Seattle Kraken, leaving many to wonder whether the Maple Leafs would fill that spot again. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts, it sounds like they might be doing so.
“I believe Joe Sacco was told he will not stay as the head coach of the Boston Bruins,” Friedman said. “I’m actually kind of wondering if he could end up in Toronto, in place of Lane Lambert. We’ll see. But I’m under the impression he was told he won’t be staying.”
Sacco was named interim head coach of the Boston Bruins after Jim Montgomery was fired following an 8-9-3 start this past season. The club went 25-30-7 in the final 62 games of the season with a new head coach at the helm, while also trading key pieces in Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, and Brandon Carlo at the trade deadline.
Tanev, Gourde Contracts And Deferred Money Provide A Blueprint For Maple Leafs To Re-Sign John TavaresJohn Tavares wants to stay in Toronto. The former Maple Leafs captain made that clear when speaking to reporters shortly after his team was eliminated in the second round at the hands of the three-time defending Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers. This desire, coupled with the Maple Leafs’ cap constraints, begs the question: How can both sides find common ground? Reportedly, the Maple Leafs would welcome him back, but not at the hefty $11 million per season salary cap hit that came with his first contract in Toronto. Recent contracts signed by other players offer a compelling glimpse into potential solutions.
Sacco, who just finished his 11th season with the club, headed the team’s penalty kill before being elevated to head coach. Boston had the seventh-best penalty kill last during the 2023-24 season, operating at 82.5 percent.
Before joining the Bruins in the summer of 2014, Sacco was an assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres. Prior to that job, though, the 56-year-old spent four seasons as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche.
His record with Colorado through 294 games as head coach was 130-134-30.
Toronto’s current coaching staff sees Berube at the helm, assistant coach Marc Savard manning the forward group and power play, and another assistant, Mike Van Ryn, leading the defense. Savard joined the organization last summer, while Van Ryn, who won the Stanley Cup with Berube on the St. Louis Blues, joined Toronto in the summer of 2023.
The Maple Leafs also have Curtis Sanford, who’s been with the club since July 2022, as their goaltending coach.
It remains unknown whether Toronto will go ahead and fill this position once again. However, if Friedman thinks out loud about whether Sacco would fit in Toronto, it likely means the Maple Leafs are hunting for someone to fill Lambert’s role.
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