Former Capitals captain Jeff Halpern could be considered for open Maple Leafs head-coaching job (report)

Jeff Halpern, a Potomac, Maryland native and former NHL player, is being considered for Toronto’s open head-coaching role. He has served as an assistant coach on Jon Cooper’s Tampa Bay Lightning staff for eight years. Teams have previously raised concerns that Halpern has not been a head coach before, leading to speculation that he might need AHL experience first. Halpern played 976 NHL games across multiple teams, including six seasons with the Washington Capitals and later stints with several clubs. He began coaching in 2016 with the Syracuse Crunch, moving from development coach to assistant coach, then joined Tampa Bay’s NHL staff in 2018-19. He has won two Stanley Cups with the Lightning.

"“The other one I wonder is a guy like Jeff Halpern, too,” Friedman said. “Now, I've heard with Halpern, the issue teams have told him before is that he's never been a head coach before. So, I've wondered if someone is waiting for him to do AHL first, but that's another name I think could be kind of on Toronto's radar.”"

"Halpern spent the first six seasons of his NHL career with the Capitals, his hometown team. He then came back for one more year with the club in 2011-12, before wrapping up his pro career with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2013-14. Overall, he played 976 career games with the Caps, Coyotes, Lightning, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers."

"After just a year away from the game, Halpern started his coaching career in 2016, joining Tampa Bay's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, first as a development coach and then as an assistant coach. He spent three seasons in the AHL before joining Cooper's staff with the Lightning during the 2018-19 campaign."

"Since then, he has won two Stanley Cups with the Lightning after being part of just one playoff series victory as a player (2012, Capitals). Halpern has previously been mentioned as a potential future NHL head coach, even reportedly interviewing with the Capitals before they hired Spencer Carbery in 2023."

Read at RMNB