The Toronto Maple Leafs are focusing on Joe Sacco, Boston’s former interim head coach, to interchange Lane Lambert after his transfer to Seattle.
May Joe Sacco Be part of the Toronto Maple Leafs Teaching Workers?
The Toronto Maple Leafs teaching employees may quickly have a brand new face — and it could be a well-known one to NHL followers.
In keeping with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Maple Leafs are contemplating Boston Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco as a candidate to interchange Lane Lambert, who left the workforce final week to turn out to be head coach of the Seattle Kraken.
Sacco, who has huge expertise as each an NHL assistant and head coach, was reportedly knowledgeable he wouldn’t return as head coach in Boston after stepping in midseason for the fired Jim Montgomery.
That opens the door for a brand new alternative — and Toronto may very well be his subsequent vacation spot.
“I’m really type of questioning if he may find yourself in Toronto, rather than Lane Lambert,” Friedman stated on the 32 Ideas podcast. “I’m below the impression he was advised he received’t be staying.”
Why Did Lane Lambert Go away the Maple Leafs?
Lambert, employed final summer season because the Leafs’ first-ever affiliate coach, ran Toronto’s penalty kill, which completed seventeenth within the league at 77.9%.
Regardless of a stable if unspectacular season in that function, he departed to just accept a head teaching place with the Seattle Kraken, marking his return to the highest job after beforehand main the New York Islanders.
His departure left a spot on Craig Berube’s teaching employees, which already consists of Marc Savard (energy play/forwards), Mike Van Ryn (protection), and Curtis Sanford (goaltending).
Joe Sacco NHL Teaching Expertise and File
Joe Sacco brings a wealth of NHL expertise:
Boston Bruins assistant coach from 2014 to 2024
Interim head coach through the 2024 season, main the workforce to a 25-30-7 end after a midseason shakeup
Former head coach of the Colorado Avalanche (2009–2013), with a 130-134-30 document
Oversaw Boston’s penalty kill, ranked seventh within the NHL final season at 82.5%
Earlier than his time in Boston, Sacco served as an assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres and held varied growth roles inside the Avalanche group.
Why Do the Maple Leafs Wish to Rent Joe Sacco?
The Maple Leafs could also be drawn to Sacco’s:
Confirmed penalty-kill techniques (a key space of want)
Decade-long familiarity with the Atlantic Division
Expertise below stress, having taken over a struggling Bruins workforce midseason
Compatibility with Craig Berube’s teaching type, notably on protection and particular groups
Toronto’s cap constraints make inside employees enhancements essential, and Sacco’s profile may provide excessive worth with no excessive price.
Will the Leafs Rent a New Affiliate Coach?
Whereas the workforce hasn’t formally dedicated to changing the affiliate coach place left vacant by Lambert, Friedman’s hypothesis suggests Toronto is exploring its choices.
It’s potential the Leafs restructure titles slightly than replicating the identical affiliate function, however the emptiness — mixed with Sacco’s availability — provides the entrance workplace a compelling alternative to behave.