Maple Leafs came very close to hiring very unpopular head coach on Saturday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs coaching search has gotten very interesting over the last 48 hours with some truly shocking names being linked to the team, but it sounds like that coaching search almost came to a premature end on Saturday.

During a recent appearance on the National Hockey League Network, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shared his insights into the ongoing search, revealing that the Maple Leafs have reached out to an enormous list of potential candidates.

"Chayka said at the combine they spoke to 55 people," said Friedman. "I think they did zooms with like 15 or 16 and now it seems like we're gonna get a smaller group 3-5 I don't know, and we'll see."

Perhaps most interesting of all during Friedman's appearance however was his revelation that there was a point this weekend when he thought a deal had been struck. According to to the insider, the Maple Leafs came very close to hiring Peter Laviolette as their next head coach.

"There was a time Saturday morning when I thought they were gonna hire Peter Laviolette," revealed Friedman. "And Now I think there's a decent chance that Peter Laviolette becomes the next head coach of the Los Angeles Kings."

Laviolette has been one of the names linked to this vacancy in recent weeks but the response to those reports from the Maple Leafs fan base has largely been negative. While it now sounds like Laviolette is no longer on the table for the Maple Leafs, they may have narrowly avoided what would have been a deeply unpopular decision among their own fans.

There is of course one big name out there right now that seemingly no one can touch with former Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy still being restricted from speaking to other teams, but it doesn't sound like the Maple Leafs have reached out.

"I don't think they've asked on Cassidy," concluded Friedman. "Vegas is making noise behind the scenes that they are not gonna change their minds, everyone is just waiting to see."