Patrick Roy and Craig Berube are now part of the same Maple Leafs coaching story, and Toronto just made this search a lot louder.
That is the new twist.
Darren Dreger says Roy and Peter Laviolette are both part of this week's stage of the interview process, which means the Leafs have pushed deeper into the experienced end of the market.
That matters right away.
For a while, this search felt like it might swing younger, fresher, and maybe even riskier. Now Toronto is clearly giving real time to 2 coaches with bigger résumés and stronger bench presence.
Roy is the name that jumps first.
Not because Laviolette is small. He is not. But because Roy has been sitting out there with people openly wondering why the phone had stayed so quiet around him.
Now Toronto has changed that.
And once a market like this gets attached to Patrick Roy, the volume goes up fast.
" The Toronto Maple Leafs coaching search is getting more interesting. Sources say Patrick Roy and Peter Laviolette are a part of this weeks stage of the interview process. "
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Toronto may be choosing between two legendary coaches to lead the franchise
That is the clearest takeaway from this update.
Toronto already interviewed internal candidates. Derek Lalonde and Mike Van Ryn were also tied to the process. Now Roy and Laviolette are in this week's stage too.
That is a wide board.
But it also tells you John Chayka is not locked into a single profile. He is looking at command, experience, presence, and maybe who can best survive the daily noise that comes with this job.
Roy definitely brings that.
He is not a quiet hire.
He is not a safe hire either.
He is a big personality with a big history, and if the Leafs are seriously talking to him, then they are at least considering a much sharper edge behind the bench.
Laviolette makes sense in a different way.
He feels like the proven NHL bench boss who can walk in and take control without needing much runway. For a team that is desperate to stop wasting time, that appeal is obvious.
That is what makes this stage interesting.
Roy brings heat, identity, and headline power.
Laviolette brings structure, history, and fewer mysteries.
Toronto now has both in the room.
And honestly, that should tell Leafs fans one thing.
This search is not drifting.
It is tightening.
Because once names like Patrick Roy and Peter Laviolette get pulled into the same week of interviews, the Leafs are no longer just exploring.
They are getting closer to the kind of choice that will define the whole tone of next season.
Would Patrick Roy be a better Leafs hire than Peter Laviolette?
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