Former Jack Adams Award winner Gerard Gallant says he is interested in the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ vacant head coaching job.
Gallant, who coached the Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2018, has been out of the NHL since 2023, when the New York Rangers agreed to mutually part ways with him.
He then took some time off before coming back and coaching the Shanghai Dragons of the KHL in 2025, but he stepped down in early 2026 due to health issues.
However, now that he’s healthy, he wants to get back behind an NHL bench, and the Maple Leafs have an opening after the team fired former head coach Craig Berube last month.
Gerard Gallant Interested in Maple Leafs Head Coaching Job
Speaking on the “Leafs Morning Take” podcast on Wednesday, Gallant confirmed that he is very interested in taking over the head coaching reins for the Maple Leafs.
“Craig’s a great coach, he did a great job, and he’s been a real longtime coach, and I was sort of surprised a little bit, to be totally honest with you. But when they make changes and the Leafs have a bad season, they’re going to make changes,” Gallant said.
“But obviously, it’s a big job, it’s a job that everybody would want to have, and obviously, I’d be interested, for sure.”
Gallant has an impressive resume in the NHL. The 62-year-old native of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada, played in 11 seasons in the league as a player, from 1984 to 1995, as a member of the Detroit Red Wings and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
After retiring as a player, Gallant got into coaching. He has coached parts of three seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets, parts of three seasons with the Florida Panthers, parts of three seasons with the Golden Knights, and two seasons with the Rangers during his time in the NHL.
Maple Leafs Interviewing Many Head Coaching Candidates
The Maple Leafs, under new general manager John Chayka, are seemingly leaving no stone unturned when it comes to who they are interviewing for their head-coaching vacancy.
In the past week, the Leafs interviewed former New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy and former Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup-winning head coach Peter Laviolette. They also interviewed current assistant head coach Derek Lalonde and are said to be interested in University of Denver Pioneers head coach David Carle, though Carle doesn’t appear likely to leave the NCAA ranks to go to the NHL.
The Leafs are talking to a lot of people because they need to get this hire right. After Berube coached just two seasons with the Leafs, the team missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade this past year, costing Berube his job. The team does not want to miss the playoffs again, so they need to make sure they hire someone who is going to get the most out of this roster.
Could that be Gallant? We’ll see. But he at least threw his name in the hat in the hopes of it happening, and you can’t blame him for trying.
Gerard Gallant Interested in Maple Leafs Head Coaching Job