Report: Taylor, Nelson, Love are three names that have “floated” Jeff Marek’s way to replace Spencer Carbery
By Joseph Zita
10 months agoThe Toronto Maple Leafs are still without an assistant coach after the departure of Spencer Carbery to the Washington Capitals.
With Brad Treliving coming in as the Maple Leafs’ new general manager, it raised the question of whether Sheldon Keefe and his coaching staff would remain with the team.
Although nothing is confirmed yet, it sure looks like Keefe will be behind the bench come opening night along with the other assistants. However, the team still needs one more body behind the bench. According to Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek on today’s episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, there are three names he brought up that he had conversations about this weekend that could be possible replacements for Carbery.
“I had a couple of names float my way… there’s one name I think you’ve [Friedman] talked about before, I believe Elliotte, I can’t remember which team it was around… Karl Taylor… Todd Nelson… and listen, I think a lot of us wonder about Mitch Love after he didn’t get the Calgary gig… I don’t know how far the Maple Leafs are along in that process of trying to find the next assistant coach to replace Spencer Carbery, but those are three that, you know, I had conversations about over the weekend.”
So although Marek dropped three names that he’s had conversations about recently, I wouldn’t be shocked if there were more names out there to land the assistant coaching job in Toronto.
Earlier today, Elliotte Friedman tweeted that former Maple Leaf Travis Green is going to New Jersey to replace Andrew Brunette on the Devils’ bench. He also said that Green had options that included the Maple Leafs but chose the Devils. So just based on that, as I said above, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are other names out there that we haven’t heard yet that could be possible replacements for Carbery.
The three names Marek talked about
Karl Taylor: Taylor, 52, is currently the head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville’s AHL team) and has been for the past five seasons, although the team opted out of playing during the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19. He’s had experience in head coaching and assistant coaching over the past 16 years between the WHL, ECHL and AHL.
Since the 2018-19 season with the Admirals, Taylor has coached them to a combined record of 157-90-29-11, making the playoffs twice, losing in the first round in the 2019 playoffs and losing in the second round in the 2022 playoffs.
Todd Nelson: Nelson, 54, is currently the head coach of the Hershey Bears (Washington’s AHL team). He has a long track record of coaching experience dating back to the 2001-02 season in the UHL. He’s coached in the UHL, AHL and NHL and has most recently been behind an NHL bench just last season with the Dallas Stars where he spent four seasons there as an assistant coach.
In Nelson’s first year as head coach with the Bears, he coached them to a 44-19-5-4 record and they are currently in the Calder Cup finals, just one win away from taking the Cup home.
Mitch Love: Love, 39, is probably the most notable name here that a lot of people will know. He’s been head coach of the Calgary Wranglers for the past two seasons and was in the running to become the Calgary Flames’ next bench boss but the organization went a different route.
In two seasons in the AHL, Love coached the Wranglers to a 96-33-8-3 record, making the playoffs in both years, losing in the third round in 2022 and losing in the Pacific Divison Finals this year to the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
There is a connection there with Love and Treliving, of course, given Treliving was the former general manager in Calgary before being hired by the Maple Leafs, so maybe that means something? I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Recent articles from Joseph Zita
