- Joe Pavelski confirmed he’s had talks with the Maple Leafs about their head coaching job
- The Hall of Fame forward is reportedly one of about five candidates left in Toronto’s search
- Read below for what Pavelski said and how he stacks up against the field
Joe Pavelski isn’t dodging the question anymore.
The retired forward confirmed he’s been in contact with the Toronto Maple Leafs about their head coaching opening, going on record after a week of speculation. He said it himself to Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News.
Pavelski was asked straight up about the Leafs job. “There’s truth to that stuff. We have had discussions,” he said. “I’m excited to go through the process and kind of see where it leads.”
Pashelka posted the comments:
Elliotte Friedman first connected Pavelski to the search last week. The difference now is Pavelski putting his own name to it instead of letting the report sit out there alone.
He’s reportedly one of about five candidates still standing as Toronto moves to in-person interviews. Bruce Cassidy, Patrick Roy and a couple of Leafs assistants are in that group too.
The wild part is the resume. Pavelski has never coached at the pro level. He’s spent the last two years running his son Nate’s 15U AAA team with the Madison Capitals.
Toronto wouldn’t be the first to take that swing. Montreal handed Martin St. Louis the bench with the same blank pro coaching resume, and that’s worked out fine for the Canadiens.
Nobody questions the playing pedigree. Pavelski put up 1,068 points and 476 goals across 18 seasons with San Jose and Dallas, captained the Sharks for four years, and owns 74 playoff goals, the most by any American-born player in league history.
Catch the Stars’ tribute when Pavelski hit 1,000 games:
Toronto fired Craig Berube in May and has been working through the field ever since. Pavelski could go from a 15U bench in Wisconsin to coaching Auston Matthews.
