Mike Van Ryn is parting ways with the Toronto Maple Leafs bench staff, according to a report that surfaced this morning.
The news lands at a particularly rough time for a franchise that finished 32nd in the Atlantic Division and 28th overall in the league.
Toronto went 32-36-14 this season. That's 78 points. Eighth in the division. Dead last in their own division.
They allowed 299 goals, a -46 differential, and closed the year on a 7-game losing streak. The final game was a 1-3 loss in Ottawa.
So no, nobody is surprised the coaching staff is being reshuffled. The surprise would be if nothing changed.
Van Ryn spent years building a reputation as a defensive developer in the Leafs system. His departure signals this rebuild goes deeper than just the roster.
A 299-goal season demands answers up and down the staff
The Leafs gave up 3.6 goals per game this year. For a market that expects to contend annually, that number is embarrassing.
Their last 10 games produced a 2-7-1 record. The team didn't just collapse at the end, either. It was a long, slow bleed.
The fan base has already floated names for what comes next. Mark Giordano in a potential bench role got mentioned almost immediately after the Van Ryn news dropped, though nothing official has followed that name.
That kind of speculation is understandable. Giordano spent years in Toronto and the respect is real. But replacing one familiar name with another familiar name doesn't fix a team that gave up 299 goals.
Auston Matthews played 60 games and scored 27 goals. William Nylander put up 79 points. The talent at the top of the lineup was there. The structure around them wasn't.
The Leafs now head into an offseason where the coaching staff decisions will be watched as closely as any contract move. Van Ryn is the first domino.
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Whether he's the last one to fall is a different question entirely.
Is Mike Van Ryn's departure from the Leafs bench a step in the right direction for the rebuild?
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