Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Roy, Laviolette, Haymes & What the New Coach Must Do Differently – The Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs‘ offseason is officially underway, and it feels like the organization is standing at one of those familiar crossroads. The coaching search is beginning to heat up. The American Hockey League (AHL) Toronto Marlies are still battling away in the playoffs, and fans are once again trying to figure out exactly what went wrong with a team that looked so good on paper but never quite became what many hoped it could be.

That’s what makes this summer interesting. The Maple Leafs aren’t simply looking for a new coach. They’re trying to answer a bigger question about the team’s identity. At the same time, there are a few younger players in the system who continue to make compelling cases for a closer look.

In today’s Maple Leafs News & Rumours, I’ll look at the latest coaching developments, check in on one of the Marlies’ playoff standouts, and finish with one lesson I hope the organization takes away from the Craig Berube era.

Roy and Laviolette Are Scheduled to Interview

The search for the Maple Leafs’ next head coach appears to be adding two candidates. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, both Patrick Roy and Peter Laviolette are expected to interview for the vacancy this week. On the surface, they couldn’t be much different. Roy is fiery, emotional, and unpredictable. Laviolette is a veteran NHL bench boss with one of the most accomplished résumés available.

Laviolette has already made it clear that he’d welcome the opportunity. During an appearance on Leafs Morning Take, he described Toronto as one of hockey’s premier destinations and acknowledged that just about every available coach would have an interest in a job of this magnitude.

It’s easy to understand why the Maple Leafs would be interested. Laviolette has won a Stanley Cup and piled up 846 career NHL victories. He’s respected throughout the league and has a reputation for demanding accountability. After another disappointing playoff exit, that may be exactly the kind of voice management believes this roster needs.

Roy presents a different type of candidate. His tenure with the New York Islanders ended late last season, but he remains one of the more intriguing names available. Beyond his Hall of Fame playing career, Roy has enjoyed considerable success coaching younger players and winning championships at the junior level.

With prospects like Easton Cowan potentially arriving soon and future pieces such as Gavin McKenna representing a huge part of the organization’s future, Roy’s ability to develop talent could be attractive. At this point, there doesn’t appear to be a frontrunner, which should make the coming weeks fascinating to watch.

Luke Haymes Continues to Make Noise

If there has been one pleasant surprise during the Marlies’ playoff run, it might be Luke Haymes. The 22-year-old forward picked up a goal and an assist in Monday’s loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, giving him nine points during the postseason. Every time I look at a Marlies boxscore lately, Haymes seems to be involved in something positive.

What impressed me most, however, wasn’t the offence. It was what he said afterward. Rather than focusing on his production, Haymes criticized his own defensive play and suggested the team’s overall effort wasn’t good enough. He also pointed out that goaltender Artur Akhtyamov had once again been forced to carry a heavy load.

That’s a mature answer from a young player. His goal itself was a strange one. Haymes appeared to lose a breakaway opportunity when Penguins defender Chase Pietila made a desperate diving play to knock the puck away. Instead of giving up on the play, Haymes stuck with it, recovered the puck, and banked a shot into the net from behind the goal line after it deflected off defender Owen Pickering.

Not every goal is a highlight-reel masterpiece. Sometimes good things happen because players keep competing after the first plan falls apart. Haymes seems to understand that.

What the Next Coach Needs to Do Differently

My final thought today has less to do with who the new coach is and more to do with what happens after the hire. I don’t think every problem the Maple Leafs had last season belongs at Craig Berube’s feet. Hockey doesn’t work that way. Players matter. Injuries matter. Puck luck matters.

Still, when I look back at last season, I see a team that became increasingly structured, predictable, cautious, and slow. There are benefits to a structured approach. Defensive responsibility is important. Every successful team needs structure.

But Berube’s too-tight structure became a problem, limiting the very strengths that make the roster special. That’s why I keep returning to the same question. Did the Maple Leafs actually decline, or did they spend an entire season playing a style that never fully let them do what they do best?

There is a belief that this core group simply wasn’t capable of another level. Maybe that’s true. But I’m not convinced. When I watch Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Matthew Knies, and the rest of the core, I still see a tremendous amount of talent. What I didn’t see was a system that encouraged them to be dangerous.

The next coach doesn’t need to abandon defensive structure. The best teams in hockey balance discipline with creativity. What I hope the Maple Leafs discover during this coaching search is that they don’t have to choose between the two. If the next coach can defend while still allowing the team’s skill players to attack, create, and play with confidence, we may get a chance to see what this roster is actually capable of.