Two iconic coaches appear to be the final two battling to take over the Toronto Maple Leafs
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Daniel Lucente
Jun 3, 2026 (12:33)
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Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Patrick Roy was not on anyone's coaching radar seven days ago. Now he is sitting in a room with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
TSN's Darren Dreger reported that Roy and Peter Laviolette are both part of this week's interview stage for the open head coaching position.
The more interesting question is why Roy appeared at all.
Last week, Roy's name was not being connected to any NHL job. He had been fired by the New York Islanders with four games left in the season, and the coaching market seemed to be moving past him.
Then John Chayka called. And the timing lines up with something most coverage has not connected yet.
The first overall pick changed what Toronto needs behind the bench
Chayka is not just filling a vacancy. He is building a coaching identity around a roster that now includes the first overall selection in Gavin McKenna, plus emerging pieces like Easton Cowan and Matthew Knies.
Roy's resume outside the NHL is where this gets specific. He won two Memorial Cups with the Quebec Remparts and has been consistently praised for his ability to develop young talent at the junior level.
That track record is exactly what a franchise pivoting toward youth would prioritize.
Laviolette offers something different entirely. He has 846 career victories and a Stanley Cup title from Carolina in 2006.
He told Leafs Morning Take in May that he views Toronto as one of the premier coaching jobs in hockey.
Fifteen interviews later, the real question is philosophical
Elliotte Friedman reported that the Leafs have already conducted roughly 15 Zoom interviews.
Roy and Laviolette entering this stage means the field is narrowing, not expanding.
The real fork in the road is not about style or personality. Laviolette is the coach you hire to win now with what you have.
Roy is the coach you hire when you believe the next core matters most.
Chayka's answer will reveal more about this franchise's direction than any trade or signing this summer.
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