“I don’t know what this last group is going to be, what the number [of finalists] is going to be, three, five, whatever it is,” Friedman said on The Fan Hockey Show. “But I think Pavelski is gonna be one of them. Based on what I’ve been told, I’m sure he’s going to be one of them.”
Later that day, ESPN insider Pierre LeBrun backed up Friedman’s report, adding some more clarity to the amount of candidates in their wheelhouse.
“It’s been confirmed to me in the last few minutes that Joe Pavelski is among those five remaining candidates that are scheduled for in person interviews with the Maple Leafs today,” LeBrun told TSN’s Overdrive. “We know Peter Laviolette is out, being the head coach in LA today, but Pavelski is among those five final candidates for the Toronto job, is what I’ve been told.”
As a player, Pavelski is a veteran of 1332 NHL games, recording 1068 points in that time. He’s clearly a respected figure in the hockey world, but a hire like this would come with risks considering he’s never held a head coaching position before. In that same breath, however, that was the deal with Martin St. Louis in Montreal, and that’s turned out pretty well for them so far.
The Maple Leafs will continue their search process this week. With in-person interviews scheduled for the final few candidates this week, it’s possible we could hear a verdict on the search within the next week or two.
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