Three candidates emerge for Maple Leafs' head-coaching job

Thus far, there hasn't been much movement on a potential hire to replace Berube behind the bench, but now, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman has revealed three potential candidates for the role on the latest edition of the "32 Thoughts" podcast.

"I think (Manny) Malhotra, very legitimate candidate, I think (Jay) Woodcroft, potentially a candidate, I do think if David Carle wanted to talk to them, I think he would be a candidate," said Friedman.

Recent reports about the decision-making process in Toronto have been conflicting, with some suggesting that the team will look for an experienced, veteran coach, while others believe the team will go for a young candidate that can grow with the team long-term. All three of these coaches fit the latter, especially David Carle, who has won the national championship with the University of Denver three times since 2021-22.

With free agency and the draft still over a month away, there's time for the Maple Leafs to properly vet their candidates and go through a thorough process, but with candidates quickly emerging, we may have news on this front sooner, rather than later.