Could Joe Pavelski end up behing the bench for the Toronto Maple Leafs? According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, it’s a possibility.
In the latest edition of the ‘32 Thoughts’ podcast, Friedman disclosed that the Maple Leafs are interest in Pavelski, even though most of the candidates who have seemingly moved onto the next round of interviews have some NHL head coaching experience.
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Pavelski has been coaching his son, Nate, with the Madison Capitols 15U hockey team with Friedman saying he was told Joe is being seen as a Martin St. Louis style coaching candidate.
St. Louis was coaching his son’s peewee team before he was hired as coach as interim coach of the Montreal Canadiens in Feb of 2022. The interim tag was eventually removed. Given Montreal’s sucess as of late under St. Louis, reaching the Eastern Conference final in 2026, it’s clear to see why the Leafs may want to pursue this route.
The impact of bringing in someone like Pavelski is intriguing as he established himself as a player of authority and mentorship during his NHL career. In his playing days with the Dallas Stars, Pavelski invited 19-year-old Wyatt Johnson to live with him for two seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24. Logan Stankoven, who was with the Stars as the time, also joined Pavelski and Johnston for much of the 2023-24 season.
Former Stars head coach Pete DeBoer recalled Johnston in particular benefitting from “true leadership.” Johnston led the Stars in goals with 32 in the 2023-24 season.
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In 18 seasons in the NHL, Pavelski had 476 goals and 592 assists in 1,332 games. He also played in 201 NHL playoff games, twice reaching a Stanley Cup final in 2016 with the San Jose Sharks and again with the Stars in 2020.
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