Report: Lane Lambert could be joining Maple Leafs’ coaching staff

It’s been nearly three weeks since the Toronto Maple Leafs officially named Craig Berube as their next head coach, yet there’s still some uncertainty about the rest of his coaching staff in the early stages of June. And now it appears that we’ll be getting some more clarity in the coming days.

TSN’s Darren Dreger stated that former New York Islanders head coach Lane Lambert could be joining Berube’s staff.

“I’ve heard that Lane Lambert, formally of the New York Islanders, could join the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Dreger said on TSN’s First Up. “I would assume 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 defence,” he added.

The 59-year-old served as the Islanders’ head coach for parts of two seasons, before getting dismissed in January 2024. He was replaced by Patrick Roy, who led them to a 20-12-5 record down the stretch.

Since Toronto was eliminated from the playoffs, there has been a domino effect when it came to corresponding moves. Toronto fired Sheldon Keefe and replaced him with Berube. Manny Malhotra left for a head coaching role in the AHL and there are vacancies on the bench. Lambert is among several candidates that have been rumoured to be joining the Maple Leafs, including former Winnipeg Jets assistant Brad Lauer.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also linked Lambert to the Maple Leafs on the 32 Thoughts: The Podcast.

Lambert brings 13 years of experience behind an NHL bench with 11 years as an assistant/associate coach. He started as an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators during the 2011-12 season and spent three years there before moving on to the Washington Capitals for four seasons, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2018.

He joined the Islanders ahead of the 2018-19 season, where he spent the next four years as an associate coach to Barry Trotz, later replacing him for the 2022-23 season where he posted a record of 42-31-9, bowing out in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. As mentioned above, he was fired and replaced by Patrick Roy earlier in the year after a record of 19-15-11.