Toronto Maple Leafs should hire Bruce Boudreau as an assistant coach

The Toronto Maple Leafs need to bring in an experienced assistant coach. BruceBoudreau would make a ton of sense.

The Toronto Maple Leafs had yet another disappointing season, falling in the play-in round to the Columbus Blue Jackets in five games. This offseason, the Leafs will likely focus on assembling the right team to play for head coach Sheldon Keefe. That includes behind the bench, as the Leafs have lost both Andrew Brewer Paul McFarland as an assistant coach. Why not hire Bruce Boudreau to replace one of them?

Boudreau is exactly what the Leafs need behind the bench. Would someone like Gerard Gallant or Peter Laviolette be better? Absolutely! However, both of those guys are likely getting hired, whether it’s by some team this offseason or by the Seattle Kraken, who might be interested in pouncing on either Gallant or Laviolette. Boudreau’s a lot less likely than those guys to get hired.

When you look at the Leafs coaching staff, the one thing it lacks is NHL experience. Dave Hakstol has plenty of coaching experience, but his time in the NHL leaves a lot to be desired. He coached an underachieving Philadelphia Flyers team from 2015 to 2019.

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Boudreau has a ton of experience behind the bench, as he has been a head coach in the NHL for 13 seasons. He has a lot of wisdom to offer, as he knows how to win in the regular season. His teams typically make the playoffs. In fact, his teams made the playoffs in each of his first 10 seasons (not including the 2010-11 season, during which he took over the Ducks midseason).

Keefe is a very good coach, but let’s face it, he’s young and inexperienced. There are things he still has to learn. Having someone like Boudreau in his ear wouldn’t be a bad thing. There isn’t much Boudreau hasn’t experienced. He would be a great teacher and mentor for Keefe.

Bruce has experience coaching defense and the power play, which was McFarland’s job. The Leafs have the personnel to have an outstanding power play. Boudreau would surely make it a lot better than it already is.

And here’s the thing – Boudreau wants to coach in Toronto. Obviously, he’d rather be a head coach. Because who wouldn’t rather be one? But if there aren’t any jobs available for Boudreau, he certainly sounds open to coaching in his hometown.

"“I understand they’ve asked for permission but nobody’s talked to me yet… I mean, I think the idea is cool.”"

That’s about as excited as you’re going to get from Boudreau. He’s 65 years old now. Teams might not be interested in him as a head coach, especially given his unfortunate history of failing in the postseason. But in an assistant coach role, Boudreau might be able to help the Leafs and, more importantly, help Keefe grow as a coach.

Plus, let’s be honest here, we all want to see Boudreau in Toronto. He has a unique, lovable personality that deserves to be in Toronto. Just imagine the outrage from the mainstream media in Toronto after Boudreau drops his first audible f-bomb. Boudreau is such a great fit for the Maple Leafs. He’s exactly what they need and the hockey universe deserves to see Bruce in Toronto.