The Toronto Maple Leafs are focusing on Joe Sacco, Boston’s former interim head coach, to switch Lane Lambert after his transfer to Seattle.
May Joe Sacco Be a part of the Toronto Maple Leafs Teaching Employees?
The Toronto Maple Leafs teaching workers might quickly have a brand new face — and it is perhaps a well-recognized one to NHL followers.
In response to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Maple Leafs are contemplating Boston Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco as a candidate to switch Lane Lambert, who left the staff final week to change into 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 truly sort of questioning if he might find yourself in Toronto, instead of Lane Lambert,” Friedman stated on the 32 Ideas podcast. “I’m beneath the impression he was instructed he gained’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 strong if unspectacular season in that position, he departed to simply 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 niche on Craig Berube’s teaching workers, 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 throughout the 2024 season, main the staff to a 25-30-7 end after a midseason shakeup
Former head coach of the Colorado Avalanche (2009–2013), with a 130-134-30 report
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 improvement roles throughout the Avalanche group.
Why Do the Maple Leafs Need to Rent Joe Sacco?
The Maple Leafs could also be drawn to Sacco’s:
Confirmed penalty-kill programs (a key space of want)
Decade-long familiarity with the Atlantic Division
Expertise beneath strain, having taken over a struggling Bruins staff midseason
Compatibility with Craig Berube’s teaching fashion, notably on protection and particular groups
Toronto’s cap constraints make inside workers enhancements essential, and Sacco’s profile might supply excessive worth with no excessive value.
Will the Leafs Rent a New Affiliate Coach?
Whereas the staff 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 doable the Leafs restructure titles fairly than replicating the identical affiliate position, however the emptiness — mixed with Sacco’s availability — provides the entrance workplace a compelling alternative to behave.
