Maple Leafs among teams monitoring Rod Brind’Amour’s availability

After blowing a 3-1 third-period lead and being eliminated in Round 2 at the hands of the Rangers on Thursday, there’s now an immediate focus on what the Hurricanes opt to do with pending free-agent coach Rod Brind’Amour. 

Among other teams, expect the Maple Leafs to delay their head coaching decision until gaining clarity into whether he’ll hit the market, reports Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun.

The Hurricanes had offered Brind’Amour an extension earlier in the season, but a report from TSN’s Darren Dreger before the second round indicated the team rescinded it. His report seemed to spur some momentum between the two sides, as within 24 hours, Dreger issued a follow-up, saying talks between Brind’Amour and Carolina ownership had advanced.

However, no deal has been made for either Brind’Amour or his assistants. Losing in such a dramatic fashion could very well influence the Canes to turn elsewhere.

Toronto, meanwhile, is on the hunt for a new head coach on the heels of a similarly familiar playoff disappointment. It fired five-year veteran Sheldon Keefe last week and already interviewed former Blues coach Craig Berube and ex-Kings bench boss Todd McLellan for the vacancy, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Berube is widely viewed as its preferred candidate, but it's not the only team heavily considering him — the Jets interviewed him for their vacancy this week. If they wait too long to see if Carolina decides to part ways with Brind’Amour, Berube may not be available as a Plan B.

Outside of Toronto and Winnipeg, the Devils, Kraken and Sharks still need to fill coaching vacancies. New Jersey and Seattle appear to be in the final stages of their searches, while the Sharks’ cast net is a tad wider. But all three would likely have interest in Brind’Amour if he became available, especially the Devils and Kraken, who have playoff aspirations next season.

Brind’Amour has made the playoffs in all six years behind the Hurricanes bench and won the Jack Adams Award in 2021, overseeing perhaps the best possession team in the NHL over that time. However, the Hurricanes haven’t won a game past the second round in his tenure. They were swept by the Bruins (2019) and Panthers (2023) in their two Eastern Conference Finals appearances under their 2006 Stanley Cup-winning captain to date.

Overall, Brind’Amour has a 278-130-44 (.664) regular-season record and a 38-35 (.521) playoff mark as Carolina’s head coach.