Joe Pavelski learned a lot going through the Toronto Maple Leafs interview process for their head coach position.
It probably planted a seed for what comes next down the road for him.
“It was great,” Pavelski told The Athletic on Friday morning. “It was awesome. It was interesting. When I got the call, if I had interest in the job, yeah, I mean, it’s Toronto. It kind of takes your breath away to be thought about as a head coach. So it definitely had my attention.”
Pavelski coached his son’s AAA team in his native Madison, Wisc., this past season after being an assistant on the staff the year before. He also helped out with the University of Wisconsin men’s team, going on the ice when time permitted to aid the coaching staff.
And clearly, people noticed. Other NHL teams had checked in periodically to see what he was up to after he retired from an 18-season NHL playing career two years ago. But this was obviously something else with the Maple Leafs.
“After they first reached out, I took a couple of days to think about it,” he said. “It’s a process you definitely want to go through and see how it really looks. I have so much respect for what these coaches do, and that’s one of the reasons you really have to look at it. You know the time they put into it and the care they put into it and everything that comes with it.
“I definitely wanted to follow up on the process and see where it went.”
Pavelski’s son, Nathan, was drafted by the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers last weekend. As the conversations with the Leafs progressed, Pavelski looked at potential options in the Toronto area for a gap year, for his son to play hockey and continue his development. That was very important, knowing that it was doable.
“There would have been an option possibly for hockey in the Toronto area for him, because I don’t have a lot of interest taking away from what he’s doing or going to do this on my own,” Pavelski said.
That tells you how far along the thought process was in making this move if the Leafs had decided he was their guy. Instead, Jim Hiller was hired, but the experience will prove valuable for Pavelski if he decides to take another run at NHL coaching down the road.
Would he consider another coaching opportunity if a team called?
“You always listen,” Pavelski said. “I think if it happens, it’s probably a few years out.”
His old pals with the San Jose Sharks, general manager Mike Grier and AGM Tom Holy, have been asking him to come out and help out at training camp, and he may do that in September.
No one would have been surprised during his playing years with the Sharks and Dallas Stars to hear that Pavelski might coach one day. His hockey IQ was through the roof, and he was always willing to mentor younger teammates. He was like another coach on the staff in his later years.
“It’s funny as you talk to people, that was a comment I got a few times — ‘Well, you’ve been coaching the last five years of your career,’” Pavelski said with a laugh. “I chuckle at that because I didn’t see it that way. I had tremendous coaches in my career. I loved Pete (DeBoer) and Spotter (assistant Steve Spott). And with Rick Bowness and Todd McLellan, I learned a lot from those guys.”
Rod Brind’Amour just won a Stanley Cup — another former star player and captain turned coach. Martin St. Louis went from coaching his son to coaching the Canadiens with impressive success. Those are both examples that mean a lot to Pavelski in the event he ever makes the jump.
Does he see parallels?
“If I were ever to do it, you hope so,” Pavelski said. “Even to have that opportunity (interviewing with the Leafs), I probably owe Marty St. Louis a big thank you, or to Rod, for what those guys have done and what they’ve meant to their teams. That’s why there’s interest. I do see a lot of benefits with those guys doing it and having that real understanding of what a guy goes through and how it shakes out throughout a year.
“Those guys have done a tremendous job. And you definitely see how it might benefit you in some ways.”
I think we’ll see Coach Pav one day in the NHL.
Rod Brind’Amour is the Canes’ one true superstar
Max Bultman and Shayna Goldman
How Raddysh got done
The Tampa Bay Lightning realized this week that the gap was just too wide in contract talks on Darren Raddysh, and it was never going to shrink — hence Friday’s sign-and-trade deal with the Maple Leafs.
The teams started talking trade Thursday, and once that part was done, Raddysh’s agent, Craig Oster of Newport Sports, began negotiating the whopper, eight-year extension ($8.5 million AAV) with the Maple Leafs, which took late into the night. So the No. 1 defenseman on the unrestricted free agent big board is off the market but changing teams.
The Maple Leafs had long been rumoured to be all over the native of nearby Caledon, Ont., a 30-year-old late-bloomer who put up a career-high 22 goals and 70 points this past season, getting opportunities on Tampa Bay’s power play and excelling with his blistering shot.
At the end of the day, I just don’t think Lightning GM Julien BriseBois bought into the sample size enough to spend large here. I do think Raddysh would have taken a bit less than his deal in Toronto to stay in Tampa, but BriseBois’ view, I’m sure, was that the commitment it would have taken to re-sign him would have taken away from other things Tampa Bay may want to do in the years to come.
My understanding is that BriseBois never came close to the term or average annual value that Toronto ended up paying, and I get that. Raddysh was still an AHLer three years ago before finally getting his NHL break. He put up 33 points in 2023-24 and 37 points in 2024-25 before his explosion in 2025-26. Colleague Arpon Basu wrote an excellent story on his rise during the Montreal Canadiens-Lightning series.
As I wrote earlier this week, I expect Tampa Bay to be among the teams at least inquiring on John Carlson come July 1, although my sense is that there are five teams overall in the East that are going after the veteran defenseman, so it won’t be easy to sign him.
Bruins listening on Zacha
In a market starved for centers, the Bruins are listening on Pavel Zacha, which is an intriguing name to say the least. There’s a big difference between listening and wanting to move him, though.
My understanding is that the Bruins’ top priority this summer is to extend Zacha if possible. That can happen as of July 1. He’s got one year left on his deal at a $4.75 million AAV and obviously will be looking for a raise after posting career bests with 30 goals and 65 points this past season. But how those talks go will be balanced with whether teams step up in a real way in trade talks.
This is an intriguing situation to monitor, to say the least. So many teams are looking to upgrade at center, and some of them have called over the past week or so. Zacha has a no-trade list that allows him to say no to eight teams, and I’m told he submitted that list to Boston on April 1.
Hischier-Devils over the hump
I mentioned earlier this week that all signs pointed to Nico Hischier likely eventually signing an extension based on the current tone of contract talks with the New Jersey Devils.
I was told Thursday night that those talks were now over the hump in terms of the meaty part of negotiations. There is still work to be done on it, and it can’t be finalized until July 1 because he has one year left on his current deal, but barring an unforeseen obstacle as talks progress, teams that were hoping the Devils captain would become available are now moving on.
My understanding is the Devils wanted to go long term on the extension while Hischier’s camp, led by agent Allain Roy, started with a shorter-term proposition and since then, the sides have found middle ground.
Thomas likely not available
Sticking with centers, Robert Thomas most likely isn’t going anywhere, or at least that’s my understanding — and The Athletic’s excellent St. Louis Blues beat writer, Jeremy Rutherford, feels the same way.
Yes, the Blues explored the trade market aggressively before the March 6 trade deadline, but it never got to the point that they asked him for a list of teams or to waive his no-trade clause. Now, with the changeover from Doug Armstrong to Alexander Steen at GM, which will be official July 1, I’ve heard from a few teams that believe Steen has told Thomas that he doesn’t intend to move him.
These things can easily change, but that’s the understanding at the moment.
Benn expected to stay
Jamie Benn should be back in a Dallas Stars uniform next season.
Stars GM Jim Nill plans to meet with his pending UFA and team captain after the NHL draft to discuss things, but the expectation is that he should be signed. Benn turns 37 on July 18. He signed a one-year deal last summer worth $1 million in base salary plus performance bonuses. I would expect a similar contract.
Ovechkin’s decision
I would venture to guess we’ll get a decision from Alex Ovechkin on his future sometime in July. The Washington Capitals’ front office has kept the lines of communication open with him since the end of the season, and there’s a pretty good level of understanding of where things are trending, but everyone involved just wants to make sure No. 8 is 100 percent sure before committing to his decision, either way.
The Caps aren’t putting any pressure on him whatsoever. He’ll be ready when he’s ready.
Expiring coaching contracts
And finally, Spencer Carbery’s extension on Thursday with the Capitals was the first among a batch of head coaches who are entering the final year of their contracts.
A reminder of the other coaches with one year left on their contracts currently:
Joel Quenneville, Anaheim Ducks
Jared Bednar, Colorado Avalanche
Rick Bowness, Columbus Blue Jackets (signed a one-year deal in April for next season)
John Hynes, Minnesota Wild
Martin St. Louis, Canadiens
Andrew Brunette, Nashville Predators (has an option for 2027-28)
Ryan Warsofsky, San Jose Sharks
Andre Tourigny, Utah Mammoth
Scott Arniel, Winnipeg Jets
Joe Sakic, back in the GM chair in Colorado, confirmed last week to local media that Bednar would be back. The question is, will he start next season with an extension?
The Avs have gone to Bednar in the past to start extension talks in the fall in his previous deals. We’ll see if that happens again.
New Preds GM Chris MacFarland confirmed this past week that Andrew Brunette would be back.
I expect Hynes, Tourigny and St. Louis, at the very least, to all have extensions done before training camp.