Maple Leafs officially hire Marc Savard as assistant coach

Marc Savard will be joining Craig Berube’s staff as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Berube replaced Sheldon Keefe as the 32nd head coach in Maple Leafs history, and now Savard is on board, after agreeing to part ways as an assistant with the Calgary Flames.

Savard was tasked with overseeing the Flames’ power play during his one season with the club. Calgary’s power play converted at a 17.9% rate, the 26th-best mark in the NHL during the 2023-24 season. He is viewed as a power play specialist and in a similar vein to Guy Boucher under Sheldon Keefe’s regime, will almost certainly operate as the lead assistant.

The 46-year-old previously coached the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires to consecutive 44-win seasons, making the playoffs each year, including a seven-game loss to the Hamilton Bulldogs in the 2021-22 OHL Finals.

“We would like to thank Marc for his commitment last season and also for his professionalism during this process to arrive at today’s decision,” Flames general manager Craig Conroy in a statement released by the team. “We wish Marc success with his future endeavours in the game.”

During the 2019-20 season, Savard was an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues while Berube was the head coach, one year removed from the franchise’s first and only Stanley Cup. St. Louis boasted the third-best powerplay in the NHL under Savard’s supervision, converting at a 24.3% rate. Berube spoke openly about operating a north-south game during his introductory press conference Tuesday and this is something Savard will have to pay keen attention to, particularly as it relates to Toronto’s entries on the power play.

Savard played 807 games in the NHL, recording 207 goals and 706 points, retiring from his playing career after the 2010-11 season in large part due to a series of concussions. He was also named to two NHL All-Star games.