An NHL legend is emerging as a serious candidate for the Leafs coaching job

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Vincent Carbonneau
May 14, 2026  (2:10 PM)

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Photo credit: Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Manny Malhotra and Craig Berube now frame Toronto's coaching search after the Maple Leafs moved on from Berube.

Patrick Roy is making noise in Leafs chatter, but the more revealing part of this conversation is where Toronto may actually want to go.

The report you shared lays it out cleanly. Roy's name is floating around informally, but a younger coach like Malhotra feels like the more realistic path for John Chayka's next move.

That matters because Toronto does not look like a team hunting only for the biggest personality on the board. It looks like a club trying to find a coach that fits a new structure.

And that is where Malhotra starts to make real sense. He is part of the newer wave, and his name keeps showing up whenever Toronto's next step gets framed around a longer reset instead of a one-shot swing.

Knoblauch belongs in that conversation too. The same chatter says his name is one to watch, and the contract detail only gives him more flexibility if the right job opens.

That detail matters. If he really has 3 years left and 7.5 M$ still owed through 2029, there is no reason for him to rush into the wrong seat.

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That is why Malhotra stands out more than Roy here. Roy is the louder name. Malhotra feels closer to the kind of coach a front office might choose when it wants to reshape the room instead of just dominate the headline.

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Toronto's own setup points that way. The Maple Leafs still list Craig Berube as their most recent head coach in the league management file, and there is no permanent replacement in place yet.

That leaves Chayka with a wide runway, but also real pressure. A market like Toronto does not stay quiet for long once a coaching seat opens.

Roy will keep getting linked because that is what happens in a market this big. Knoblauch will keep coming up because he is available and carries NHL bench credibility.

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But Malhotra may be the name that fits the moment best. He would represent a cleaner break from the old cycle of chasing the loudest résumé every time the room goes stale.

That is the real takeaway here. Toronto can let the Roy talk swirl and keep an eye on Knoblauch, but if the Leafs want a younger coach to grow with the next version of the team, Malhotra is sitting right in that lane.

And that is why his name keeps getting harder to ignore.

Previously

Stan Bowman may have just revealed too much about Kris Knoblauch

A surprising new favorite may be emerging in the Leafs coaching search

Emergency involving Arber Xhekaj prompts 911 call Monday evening

POLL

1 HOUR AGO   |   148 ANSWERS An NHL legend is emerging as a serious candidate for the Leafs coaching job Should the Maple Leafs go with Manny Malhotra over Patrick Roy ?

▢    Yes

▢    No

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