Leafs reportedly zeroing in on Lane Lambert
The former Islanders head coach appears to have a new home!
The Toronto Maple Leafs have already made a notable offseason change, firing head coach Sheldon Keefe and replacing him with 2019 Stanley Cup winning head coach Craig Berube, formerly of the St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers. And while there are several candidates being floated around to join his staff as an assistant, one of the more interesting names is a figure who lasted only 1.5 seasons behind the bench in a head coaching role of his own.
According to Darren Dreger of TSN, the Maple Leafs are considering hiring former New York Islanders coach Lane Lambert as an assistant on Berube's staff. As you may remember, Lambert was hired by New York upon the termination of Barry Trotz and led them to a postseason berth in 2023.
However, ruthless team general manager Lou Lamoriello wasn't satisfied with the team's direction this season, and fired him not even two years into his tenure; he was replaced with Patrick Roy.
Dreger had the following to say about the situation:
"They're working on it, and that's pretty obvious," he said. "Teams, mostly, would like to have their staff in place by the draft... Craig Berube has been locked down. I have heard some names over the last few days I would say, maybe even going into the weekend that are of interest to me. I've heard that Lane Lambert, formerly of the New York Islanders, could join the Toronto Maple Leafs.
I would assume that he would manage the forwards under the guidance of Berube. Mike Van Ryn, I believe, is staying with the Maple Leafs and he would help manage the defense. Still a question mark beside Marc Savard.
If Lane Lambert is coming on board, I think that's a significant get. I do. He's a very experienced coach, most recently head coach with the New York Islanders, so he's going to add another element of experience."
Leafs fans, how would you feel to see Lambert behind the bench on Berube's staff?
Recommended articles:
