Pat Ferschweiler Emerges as Maple Leafs Coach Search Nears Decision
pat ferschweiler is among the candidates as the Maple Leafs move into the final phases of hiring a new coach, with John Chayka saying a decision should come in the next several days. Toronto has been without a coach since Craig Berube was fired on May 13, and the timing lands in the middle of an offseason that is already changing the roster.
Chayka Sets the Timeline
“I think we are on the final phases at this stage,” Chayka said Tuesday. “It's been a pretty thorough process so far and we've taken our time with it.”
He added: “We've had some in-person meetings recently and we are getting down to decision time, so it should be in the next, you know, several days.”
The coaching search sits with the organization’s top decision-makers after the Maple Leafs changed general managers earlier this spring. Chayka was hired on May 3, and Mats Sundin was brought in as senior executive adviser.
Toronto's Season After Berube
Berube’s exit followed a 32-36-14 season that ended with Toronto last in the Atlantic Division and 15th in the Eastern Conference. The Maple Leafs lost their final seven games and finished 0-6-1 in that stretch.
That collapse pushed Toronto into a spring without playoff hockey for the first time since 2016-17. The franchise has advanced in the postseason twice since 2004 and has not won the Stanley Cup since 1967, so the coaching choice lands with a clear sense of urgency even before the next roster moves are complete.
Roster Moves Around the Search
Toronto also moved players on Tuesday, trading goalie Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers. In return, the Maple Leafs received goalie Samuel Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae and a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Chayka tied the trade to the bigger offseason plan, saying: “Mats and I have been working pretty hard now for the last several weeks coming up with what we think is a pretty comprehensive offseason plan, and this is a move we feel that is a part of that,” and, “There's lots of work to be done with the roster.” He also said, “What we liked about this opportunity is that it allowed us to create some flexibility. I think flexibility and optionality are assets to any great organization, and certainly this allows us to be in a better spot as we think about the entire offseason plan.”
Toronto’s goalie picture is also still being sorted out. “We're going to make some decisions as to what (our goalie pipeline) looks like,” Chayka said, while describing Ersson, who is 26 years old, as “a good young goaltender; he's someone we identified with upside and someone our staff could work with, so we will get together with (director, goaltending development and scouting) Curtis McElhinney and make that decision.”
For Maple Leafs fans, the practical takeaway is simple: the coaching hire is close, the roster is still moving, and the next few days should tell them which candidate gets the job and how the front office plans to balance the bench with the rest of the offseason work.
