Maple Leafs fire assistant coach amid dismal start to season

The Toronto Maple Leafs have not played well this season. At this time, they are dead last in the Atlantic Division and only one point clear of the Columbus Blue Jackets for last in the Eastern Conference. It’s a massively disappointing campaign for a team some believed could contend for the Stanley Cup. On Monday, Toronto made its first significant change of the season.

The Maple Leafs have fired assistant coach Marc Savard, the team announced on social media. This was in response to the team’s brutal performance on the power play. Savard was in charge of this unit, which currently ranks dead last at 13.3%.

Savard was in his second season as an assistant for the Maple Leafs. The former NHL forward had previously worked with head coach Craig Berube with the St. Louis Blues. He was hired by St. Louis shortly after the franchise won its first Stanley Cup in 2019.

Savard also spent one season as an assistant with the Calgary Flames. The 48-year-old Ottawa native spent parts of four seasons with the Flames as a player, as well. He also skated with the New York Rangers, Atlanta Thrashers, and Boston Bruins.

The now former Maple Leafs assistant has head coaching experience, though not in the NHL. He was named head coach of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires in 2021, spending two seasons coaching junior hockey in Ontario.

The Maple Leafs are hoping this change can spark something in their group of players. Only time will tell how this change will affect their season. Toronto returns to the ice on Tuesday night when it takes on Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The post Maple Leafs fire assistant coach amid dismal start to season appeared first on ClutchPoints.